Speaking to reporters after a meeting between foreign ministers of the Visegrád Group (V4) and India in New York, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said: “We all agree as V4 countries that India, as a part of the Global South, an upcoming superpower in the Indo-Pacific region, must be at the table as the permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly under Slovakia’s presidency of the V4. It marked the first high-level V4-India foreign ministers’ meeting.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the meeting along with Blanár; Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski; Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka; and Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Anita Orbán.

The ministers discussed ways to strengthen engagement between India and the Visegrád Group.

“They acknowledged the strong bilateral relations that exist between India and each of the V4 countries, and noted the potential for the V4+India format to complement and add further momentum to these ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The discussions covered opportunities for cooperation in areas including trade and investment, technology and innovation, resilient supply chains, defence and security, connectivity, education, mobility and people-to-people exchanges.

The ministers also discussed ways to increase interaction among businesses, academic and research institutions and other stakeholders from India and the V4 member states.

They exchanged views on global and regional developments, peace and security, as well as cooperation in multilateral forums.

The discussions also focused on the need for reformed multilateralism and efforts to address contemporary global challenges, including those affecting the Global South.

Jaishankar said the meeting marked a new chapter in India’s engagement with the four Central European countries, with the sides also agreeing to hold annual foreign ministers’ meetings and explore an annual business forum.