Polish Minister calls on Dr. Pallam Raju

New Delhi, June 16 : Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Ryszard Schnepf called on the Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju here today.

Welcoming the visiting dignitary Raju expressed the hope that the defence ties between the two countries are set to take off into an era of more participative cooperation.

The erstwhile member of the Warsaw Pact countries, Poland joined the NATO in 1999 and the European Union in May 2004.

Raju commended Poland's significant participation in the Defexpo 2008 in New Delhi. He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation signed in February 2003 during the visit of the Polish Prime Minister to New Delhi envisaged consolidation of defence ties between the two countries.

Poland, which manufactures a large inventory of arms and ammunition, has been responsive to New Delhi's interests in the South Asian Region.

Under the 2003 MoU, the two countries have held three Joint working group meetings on defence cooperation, the last one in December 2007.

The two countries periodically exchange high level visits. Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor visited Warsaw as recently as in March this year.

ANI