Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Slovakia marks the first by an Indian leader since the country's independence in 1993.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Slovakia on Monday for the second leg of his three-nation Europe tour, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit the country since it gained independence in 1993. During his two-day stay in Bratislava, Modi is set to hold bilateral talks with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Prime Minister Robert Fico. He is also scheduled to meet leading Slovak business leaders to explore ways to boost economic cooperation and investment between the two nations. Shortly after arriving, the prime minister said the visit would help deepen bilateral ties and open up new avenues for collaboration. "This visit provides an opportunity to deepen India-Slovakia relations and explore new avenues of cooperation. Looking forward to productive meetings with President Pellegrini and Prime Minister Fico," Modi said in a post on X. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár received Modi on arrival. The Indian leader was accorded the traditional bread-and-salt welcome, a gesture symbolising hospitality, respect and goodwill in Slovak culture. Ahead of the visit, Modi had described the trip as historic and expressed confidence that his interactions with Slovak leaders and industry representatives would further strengthen bilateral cooperation. The visit comes amid growing engagement between the two countries, following President Droupadi Murmu's state visit to Slovakia in April 2025 and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini's visit to India for the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, the MEA noted. India and Slovakia are expected to discuss expanding cooperation across sectors including trade and investment, automobile manufacturing, railway production and emerging technologies. New Delhi also sees the visit as an opportunity to strengthen its engagement with the European Union, of which Slovakia is a member. Modi arrived in Bratislava after concluding the first leg of his tour in France, where he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and attended the inauguration of the Bharat Innovates event in Nice. Following his Slovakia visit, the prime minister will travel to Evian to attend the G7 Summit on June 16 and 17. He is expected to hold discussions with G7 leaders and partner nations on issues ranging from global cooperation and economic growth to artificial intelligence, besides conducting a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines. The final leg of Modi's tour will take him to Paris on June 18, where he will attend VivaTech 2026, Europe's largest technology and startup event, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Megha Rawat is an Assistant News Editor at Times Now, where she drives the national news narrative with sharp political reporting, election coverage a View More
