New Delhi: India and Slovakia on Monday (June 15) elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the central European country since its independence in 1993.The two sides sought to expand cooperation in defence, advanced technologies, trade, energy and security amid growing engagement between India and its European partners.Announcing the decision after their meeting, Modi said the Comprehensive Partnership reflected the two countries’ “shared beliefs, shared priorities and shared future”.The move gives a new framework to a relationship that has remained cordial but relatively low-profile since diplomatic relations were established in 1993. In a joint statement, the two governments said the partnership would deepen cooperation across bilateral and multilateral platforms while creating new avenues for engagement.Among the key outcomes was a Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation and a decision to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism. The joint statement said the two leaders “unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism”, and strongly condemned the April 2025 attack in Pahalgam.The two sides also called for stronger international action against terrorists and their supporters and reaffirmed support for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations.Slovakia reiterated its support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed United Nations Security Council, while the two governments stressed the “urgent need” to expand the council in both permanent and non-permanent categories. The joint statement also noted Slovakia’s continued support for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, with both sides looking to capitalise on the recently concluded India-EU trade negotiations.Modi thanked Slovakia for its support during the negotiations and said New Delhi would work towards the agreement’s implementation.“We will work towards its earliest implementation so that industries, startups and traders of both countries can derive maximum benefit from it,” he said.The joint statement said the agreement would open new opportunities for trade and investment and help diversify critical value chains. Automotive manufacturing, electronics and advanced manufacturing were identified as sectors with significant potential for deeper collaboration.The two governments also signalled an intention to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies. Agreements were exchanged on digital technologies and critical infrastructure protection, while both sides pledged closer engagement in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cyber security and telecommunications technologies, including 5G and 6G.Among the outcomes announced during the visit was the establishment of an Indian Council for Cultural Relations Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Kosice, the first such chair in the field.Several other agreements covering labour migration, higher education and research, and audio-visual cooperation were also exchanged.Separately, Modi met Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, who conferred the Order of the White Double Cross, First Class, Slovakia’s highest state honour.The prime minister arrived in Slovakia after holding talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday. On Tuesday, he will travel to Evian to attend the G7 summit as an invited partner, where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines, including with US President Donald Trump.