Embassy of India, Bratislava

India – Slovak Republic Bilateral Brief

India and Slovakia have had traditionally warm relations that date back to 1921 with the establishment of the Czechoslovak Consulate in Bombay. The longstanding ties are based on shared values of democracy, rule of law, freedom and equality. After the independence of the Slovak Republic on 1 January 1993, India was one of the first countries to recognize the Slovak Republic. Slovakia opened its resident Mission in New Delhi in 1993. Subsequently, India established its resident Mission in Bratislava in August 1995. The Slovak Republic maintains Honorary Consulates in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, the latest of which was opened in March 2025.

India-Slovakia relations are marked by frequent engagements including at the level of Head of the State, Foreign Ministers, Minister of State and technical level Working Groups. During the state visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Slovakia (14-15 June 2026), the bilateral relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Partnership.

VVIP Visits from India to Slovakia

Visit of former President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (9-10 October 1996)
Former President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma visited the Slovak Republic (Slovakia) on 9-10 October 1996 as part of a larger European tour to boost economic ties, including a meeting with Slovak President Michal Kováč.

Visit of Vice President Krishan Kant (June 2000)
Former Vice President Shri Krishan Kant visited Slovakia in June 2000 as part of a state visit to Bulgaria, Slovakia and Egypt, from 8-21 June 2000.

Visit of President Smt. Droupadi Murmu (9-10 April 2025)
The second Presidential visit took place after a gap of 29 years. The President of India visited Slovakia from 9-10 April 2025, accompanied by a business delegation. Two MoUs were signed during the visit: one on cooperation between the Foreign Service Institutes of both countries, and another between the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC), India, and the Slovak Business Agency (SBA), Slovak Republic, on cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi (14-15 June 2026)
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Slovakia from 15 June 2026, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister since Slovakia’s independence in 1993. The Prime Minister held meetings with Mr. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, and Mr. Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic. A total of 11 agreements were signed between the two sides during the visit. Both sides also agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership and to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and a Consular Dialogue.

Foreign Ministerial Visits

Visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar (2-3 June 2022)
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar (EAM) paid an official visit to Slovakia on 2-3 June, the first ever visit at the level of EAM since 1993. On 3 June, EAM participated in GLOBSEC 2022. During the visit, EAM called on Mr. Eduard Heger, former Prime Minister of Slovakia, and had delegation-level talks with the then Foreign Minister Korčok.

VVIP Visits from Slovakia to India

Visit of Prime Minister Jozef Moravcik (July 1994)
Prime Minister Jozef Moravcik paid an official visit to India on 7-8 July 1994. His delegation included the Ministers of Defence and Economy, the Governor of the Slovak National Bank, and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Visit of President Dr. Ivan Gasparovic (December 2004)
President of the Slovak Republic H.E. Dr. Ivan Gasparovic paid a State visit to India from 11-15 December 2004, accompanied by First Lady Ms. Silvia Gasparovicova, State Secretaries of Culture, Defence and Foreign Affairs, and a large business delegation.

Visit of President Peter Pellegrini for the AI Impact Summit (18-21 February 2026)
President Peter Pellegrini participated in the AI Impact Summit on 19-20 February 2026. The President arrived in New Delhi on 18 February and was received by Minister of State Shri Jitendra Singh. During the visit, President Pellegrini met with Hon’ble President on 19 February and the Prime Minister on 20 February, and attended the leaders’ session and other events of the Summit.

Foreign Ministerial Visits

Mr. Miroslav Lajcak, Foreign and European Affairs Minister, visited India as President-elect of the 72nd Session of UNGA in August 2017.

Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer visited India for the Raisina Dialogue from 2-4 March 2023. The Cultural Exchange Programme 2023-26 was signed during this visit.

Visit of Foreign Minister Mr. Juraj Blanar (20-23 February 2024)
Foreign Minister Mr. Juraj Blanar visited India for the Raisina Dialogue 2024 from 20-23 February 2024, accompanied by a 22-member delegation of business and defence companies. He also participated in the 2nd CII India Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave.

Visit of Foreign Minister Mr. Juraj Blanar (17-19 March 2025)
Mr. Juraj Blanar again visited India for the Raisina Dialogue 2025 from 17-19 March 2025, leading a large business delegation that included Finance Minister Mr. Ladislav Kamenský along with several senior government functionaries and journalists. He met with EAM during the visit and inaugurated the Honorary Consulate of Slovakia in Kolkata on 20 March 2025.

Bilateral Mechanisms

Apart from High-level and Ministerial engagements, established bilateral mechanisms take place at regular intervals to review the relationship and take stock of bilateral progress.

Foreign Office Consultations (FoC)
The Indo-Slovak Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was signed in July 1994. So far, six rounds of FOC have taken place: the first in December 1995, second in March 1996, third in December 1999, fourth in February 2015, fifth in April 2018, and the sixth on 10 February 2023 in New Delhi, co-chaired by Secretary (West) and the Director General for Political Affairs from the Slovak side. The next round is scheduled for 2026 at a mutually convenient time and venue.

India – Slovakia Joint Economic Committee (JEC)
The Indo-Slovak JEC was established in 1994 during the visit of former Prime Minister Mr. Jozef Moravcik to India, and held its first meeting in Bratislava in May 1995. The latest, 12th session of the JEC was held in New Delhi in February 2025. The visiting Slovak business delegation also participated in the 26th International Engineering & Technology Fair (IETF) in New Delhi. The next round of the JEC is to take place in 2027.

Trade and Investment Relations

Bilateral Trade: Trade and investment ties between the two countries have experienced positive growth in the last two years. According to Slovak Statistical Office data, in 2024, total bilateral trade reached an all-time high, figuring US$ 1.3 billion, crossing the US$ 1 billion mark for the first time. In 2025, bilateral trade further progressed to US$ 1.8 billion, an annual growth of 28%, steered by Indian exports of US$ 1.52 billion and imports of US$ 284 million. The bilateral trade figures for the last five years are as below:

Bilateral Trade (in US$ million)
Source: Slovak Statistical Office

Bilateral Trade (in US$)
Source: DGFT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India

The major items of India’s export to Slovakia are motor vehicle parts, machinery and mechanical appliances, apparels knitted or crocheted, mobile phones, footwear, parts of footwear, garments, medicaments, propellent powders and electrical apparatus. Vehicle parts like gear boxes and appliances like spark ignition engines for cars contribute to more than half of the total exports from India.

Major items of import from Slovakia are dominated by automobiles (cars), along with their parts, as well as machinery, electrical equipment and rubber products, reflecting its strong manufacturing base, especially in the automotive sector. Other items include glass, iron, steel and ceramic products.

Indian Investments in Slovakia

Indian investments in Slovakia span a number of sectors but are mostly focused on industrial, automotive and services-oriented areas. While current Indian investments in Slovakia remain concentrated in automotive, engineering and IT services, there is potential in expanding cooperation into additional areas including renewable energy like biofuels, light manufacturing and textiles. Some of the major Indian investments in Slovakia are as below:

• Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) state-of-the-art automobile plant, with an investment of €1.4 billion and annual manufacturing capacity of 150,000 vehicles, began construction in September 2016 and began operations in October 2018. The plant employs more than 4,400 people (approx. 300 Indians) and produces two models – Land Rover Discovery and Land Rover Defender. The Nitra facility will be producing electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
• In August 2025, Tata AutoComp Systems, Pune, through its UK-based subsidiary Artifex, signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of IAC Group (Slovakia), Lozorno, which manufactures automotive components such as door panels, instrument panels, centre consoles, luggage compartment linings and pillar linings. Following integration, the Slovak operation began operating as Artifex Systems Slovakia in February 2026.
• In June 2024, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Ltd announced it had acquired an additional 4.5% stake in InoBat, a Slovakia-based electric vehicle battery manufacturer, for €20 million, raising its total holding to about 9.32%, including a previous investment of €10 million in 2021.
• In March 2022, HCL Technologies Limited incorporated HCL Technologies Slovakia s.r.o. as a subsidiary of HCL Technologies UK Limited, primarily engaged in IT and business services, engineering and R&D services, and modernised software products and IP-led offerings.
• In 2021, Wipro Limited acquired London-headquartered Capco, a global management and technology consultancy. Capco Bratislava specialises in software development and consulting, primarily for international banks and insurance companies in Western Europe.
• Prodapt Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading service provider of digital and network services to the telecom and media industries, has operated in Slovakia since 2021 in Bratislava and since 2022 in Kosice.
• In January 2020, CKA Birla Group, through its company National Engineering Industries (NEI), acquired Slovakia-based Kinex Bearings, which supplies products to over 80 countries and employs around 750 workers (7 Indians) across two production plants in Slovakia (Bytca and Kysucke Nove Mesto), producing bearings for railways, industrial segments and the textile industry.
• In 2018, Infosys acquired Fluido, the leading Salesforce Consultancy and Partner in the Nordics, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with additional offices in Denmark, Norway, Slovakia (Banska Bystrica) and Sweden.
• SPC International was acquired by TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) in 2017. It is a global IT services provider specialising in repair, refurbishment and remarketing of IT hardware, with major repair centres in the UK, Slovakia (Piestany), India and North America.
• In 2017, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) opened a branch in Bratislava, providing IT services for Jaguar Land Rover in Nitra. TCS’s General Manager for Slovakia is based in Budapest, Hungary.
• In 2017, Dhoot Transmission, an Aurangabad-based wiring harness manufacturer, acquired the TFC Cable Assemblies plant in Slovakia, which manufactures wiring harnesses, wiring looms and cable assemblies for the automotive industry.
• In 2011, the Samvardhana Motherson Group acquired 80% of the shares in Peguform GmbH, Germany, whose Slovak subsidiary was renamed SMP Automotive Solutions Slovakia s.r.o. In 2023, Motherson acquired 100% of SAS Autosystemtechnik, Germany, including its Slovak facility, now operating as Motherson SAS Automotive Systems and Technologies Slovakia s.r.o. Motherson Group is now represented in Slovakia by SMRC Nitra (Modules & Polymer Products division) and MSAS Bratislava (Integrated Assemblies division), which employs around 50 Indians.
• In 2010, Illichmann Castalloy, Austria, merged into the Alicon Group, and its Slovak plant, Illichmann Castalloy s.r.o. in Zarnovica, also became a member of the Alicon Group. The company manufactures aluminium products.

Slovak Investments in India

Slovak investments in India are fairly diversified compared to major Indian investments in Slovakia, spanning several industrial, engineering, technology and services sectors. Some of the important Slovak investments in India are as below:

• Slovak rail freight cars and bogies manufacturer Tatravagonka a.s., Poprad, acquired a 26% stake in Jupiter Group, Kolkata, in 2015. Jupiter Group acquired over 60% stake in Madhya Pradesh-based Commercial Engineers & Body Builders Co. Ltd. (CEBBCO) in February 2019. In 2024, Jupiter Wagons acquired Bonatrans India in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), transforming it into the Jupiter Tatravagonka Railwheel Factory (JTRF) – the first facility in India to produce wheelsets for both local consumption and export. In April 2025, JTRF set up India’s first private forged railwheel and axle manufacturing plant in Odisha’s Khordha district, intending to invest Rs. 2,500 crore.
• In March 2023, Zuari Industries Limited entered into an agreement with Envien International Limited (Envien Group, part of AZC Group), headquartered in Slovakia, to jointly develop, construct, own and operate a 150 KLPD grain-based (rice & corn) distillery in Uttar Pradesh, supplying ethanol under the Ethanol Blending Programme of the Government of India. The distillery, developed at Aira, Lakhimpur Kheri, UP, is implemented by Zuari Envien Bioenergy Pvt Ltd as a joint venture, with plans to scale up production to 1000 KLPD. It was scheduled for commissioning in Q1 2026.
• Another AZC Group company, Czechia-based Nymwag, has a joint venture with Texmaco Rail & Engineering for a freight wagon and railway components facility in Kolkata. Construction of the Texmaco Nymwag Rail and Components Pvt Ltd factory began in March 2024 and was completed in October 2025, with an annual capacity of 2,500 wagons.
• Defence manufacturing company Grand Power Ltd has set up a subsidiary, Grand Power India, and is in the process of setting up a plant for manufacturing various calibre small arms weapons in India.
• ESET, the renowned Slovak software services company, has focused its India investments on expanding its channel partner ecosystem, local distribution networks, and enterprise cybersecurity services rather than direct infrastructure manufacturing. In 2025, the company prioritised partner engagement events (e.g., ESET Connect) in major hubs like Mumbai and Bangalore to onboard new Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and resellers. ESET CEO Richard Marko also participated in the February 2026 India AI Impact Summit.
• M/s VIPO a.s., Partizanske, established in 1974, researches, develops and produces machines and electronic systems, with around 120 employees and 100 machines supplied annually, mainly bead winding and bead apex machines for the tyre industry. Since 2008, it has delivered 27 machines to Indian companies including Apollo Tyres, JK Tyre, MRF, CEAT and BKT. In June 2025, the company incorporated Vipo India Pvt Ltd in Delhi to expand its presence in India.
• In 2020, Mr. Martin Kusik, former partner in M/s Penta Investments s.r.o., Bratislava Group, bought a stake in M/s IDFC First Bank, Mumbai, through his Czech company M/s Odyssey 44 a.s., Prague. As of December 2025, Odyssey 44 owned 3.14% of the Bank’s shares.
• In 2022, Edgar Baker s.r.o., a human resources company, opened its subsidiary Edgar Baker Pvt Ltd in Noida, focusing on search for manager and expert profiles as well as skilled workforce.
• In 2015, MicroStep-MIS, which specialises in customised monitoring and information systems, incorporated MicroStep Monitoring Information Systems India Pvt Ltd in Bangalore, and has delivered meteorological systems for 67 military airports for the Indian Air Force.
• GMP Slovakia, s.r.o., a worldwide leader in steel reels, drums, take-apart reels and handling equipment for the wire and cable industry, has its main manufacturing plant in Pribenik. Its second manufacturing plant, GMP Reels India, was founded in 2013 in Nashik, Maharashtra.
• In October 2022, Slovak company Dajky s.r.o. established a branch in India, doing business in installation of artificial surfaces for cricket stadiums and training pitches, sports fields for schools and universities, and military training fields.
• In 2024, Furbify, which refurbishes and sells used computers, registered its company Furbify India Pvt Ltd, and is currently in the process of obtaining a licence for the sale of refurbished computers.

Defence Cooperation

An MoU on defence cooperation was signed between the two sides in 1995. A Letter of Intent on cooperation in the field of Defence was signed during the visit of the Prime Minister on 15 June 2026. There is significant potential between the two countries in defence cooperation, since Slovak defence companies have competing capabilities to Czech defence companies. Many Indian companies have recently signed MoUs/agreements with Slovak defence companies for joint manufacture in the fields of Artillery/Armoured systems, which could be explored further to boost India’s own defence exports.

A Defence Industry Webinar was conducted by the Embassy on ‘India-Slovakia Defence Industry Collaborative Avenues’ on 11 March 2026. The webinar witnessed strong engagement and participation, with over 60 participants representing defence ministries, defence industry associations and defence companies from both countries.

Cooperation in Nuclear Energy

On 27 September 2023, India and the Slovak Republic signed an MOU on Exchange of Technical Information and Cooperation in the field of Regulation of the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes, on the margins of the 67th IAEA General Conference held on 25-29 September in Vienna, Austria.

Cooperation in Space

The first Slovak satellite (SKcube) was launched atop the Indian launcher PSLV-XL from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 23 June 2017. The respective space agencies from both sides are in contact for exploring joint collaboration in areas such as Earth Observation applications, hardware component development for both small and larger satellites, and business incubation best-practice sharing.

Cultural Relations

An Agreement on Cultural Exchange Programme (2023-2026) was signed between India and Slovakia on 4 March 2023.

The Embassy of India in Slovakia has time and again organised various cultural events in Bratislava. Some of the events organised in the past two years include a painting competition by the Slovak-Indian Friendship Society in cooperation with the Embassy in Slovak schools, a science exhibition, and events for Diwali, Holi, Rathyatra and Garba. International Yoga Day is celebrated regularly by the Mission along with local yoga studios, and the Embassy also provides free yoga sessions for the local population.

The first-ever translation of the Upanishads from Sanskrit to Slovak was undertaken by Mr. Robert Gafrik (Veda Publications) in association with the Embassy of India. This also featured in the 116th episode of Mann Ki Baat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian Embassy facilitated the participation of two Slovak troupes in India: the 13-member Ifju Szivek Dance Theatre Group, which participated in Balijatra at Cuttack, and the Slovakia Ruthenia Folk group, which participated in the 8th India International Folk Festival. In the last two years, the Embassy received six ICCR cultural troupes (Bhangra group, Marwar group of Rajasthan, Rajasthani Folk Legacy Society, Ghumti Gori, Sur Varsha and Lok Chhanda Group) from India, which performed at various places in Slovakia. A Chhau group from Purulia, West Bengal, participated in the four-day Myjava Folklore Festival from 16-21 June 2026.

Indian Community

The Indian diaspora in Slovakia is estimated at around 11,000, with a considerable increase in the number of Indians in Slovakia over the last five years. Indians work in various automotive and other companies, including Jaguar Land Rover, Stellantis, Lear Corporation Seating Slovakia s.r.o., Vertiv Slovakia, Motherson Automotive Systems, DHL and other manufacturing and IT companies.

There are around 100-110 OCI card holders, mostly engaged in small businesses such as restaurants, garments and textiles, ethnic handicrafts and grocery stores.

There are about 500 students studying in Slovakia, spread across universities in Kosice, Bratislava and Nitra, most pursuing engineering and business management. The Embassy maintains regular contact with them and invites them to National Day celebrations and other occasions.