India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar conferred with four Central European counterparts to enhance collaboration and strengthen defense connections as New Delhi expands its diplomatic engagement amid tense relations with the US.
Ministers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — part of the regional collective referred to as the Visegrad Group, or V4 — conducted their inaugural concurrent ministerial gathering with India during the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, as per reports.
According to Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar, the four nations also supported India’s pursuit of permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
“We, as V4 countries, unanimously believe that India, representing the Global South and emerging as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific, should be included as a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” Blanar stated during a media briefing following the meeting.
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India has been expanding its diplomatic engagement, aiming for stronger economic and strategic connections with nations in Europe and Asia as its relationship with the US continues to be challenged. A protracted trade agreement with Washington is still incomplete, as tensions rose when President Donald Trump enacted a law giving him additional authority to levy tariffs on nations buying Russian energy.
Besides Blanar, the gathering also featured Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orban, and Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, according to the statement.
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The ministers talked about international and regional trends, security, and collaboration in multilateral settings, including changes to global organizations and issues confronting developing countries. Jaishankar urged for enhanced defense relations.
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The statement further mentioned that the group addressed topics like space, connectivity, and mobility between individuals.