New Delhi, June 10 (IANS) Slovakia's Ambassador to India, Robert Maxian, has termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Slovakia a "landmark moment", stating that it will further boost bilateral ties in several areas of cooperation, including investment, trade, student mobility and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

PM Modi is set to travel to Slovakia for a State visit from June 14-16. This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia since its independence in 1993.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Maxian recalled earlier visits by President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar to Slovakia. He also mentioned Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini's visit to India for the AI Impact Summit, which was held earlier this year.

Speaking about the significance of PM Modi's visit to Slovakia, he responded, "The Prime Minister of India and Slovakia have never met before. From this point, we are considering it as a landmark moment in our bilateral relationship. This is the result of a long-term high-level political dialogue which started in 2022 with the visit of your Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Jaishankar, to Slovakia. Afterwards, our Ministers of External Affairs have met several times. Besides that, Madam Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, visited Slovakia in April 2022. And my President, Mr Peter Pellegrini, visited India in February this year for the AI Summit. The same is given as a package of the high-level political dialogue and framework, which has been created for our further cooperation."

Robert Maxian stated that India and Slovakia are expected to sign agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during PM Modi's upcoming visit to Slovakia.

When asked about the key outcomes or agreements expected from this visit, he responded, "We are expecting that the visit of the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Slovakia will further boost our bilateral ties in all areas of cooperation, starting from investment, trade, innovation, artificial intelligence, student mobility and labour mobility. Of course, they would like to sign some agreements and MoUs as well; there are a number of them. But, I would like to keep it rather as a surprise, and once the meeting on the 15th of June and all the ceremonies are ready, we would like to update you on those agreements which have been signed."

During his visit, PM Modi will hold talks with his Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico, and explore new avenues of cooperation. PM Modi will also hold talks with President Pellegrini.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that PM Modi's visit will reaffirm India's commitment towards strengthening its bilateral relationship with Slovakia in various sectors, including trade, investment, and automobile and railway manufacturing.

--IANS

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