India and Central and Eastern Europe: Post-Cold War Engagement

The end of the Cold War and subsequent geo-political developments had transformative impact on India’s relations with the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Consequently, India and CEE countries recalibrated their foreign policies, but changed external orientations did not augment their bilateral relationships. Their political interactions became less frequent and economic linkages relatively modest. Despite a positive mutual perception, cultural and people-to-people contacts are not so vibrant and extensive. Since the 1990s, India and CEE have registered reasonably impressive economic growth. They have been pursuing economic reforms and taking initiatives for building digital and physical infrastructure for facilitating further growth and development and greater integration with the global economy. Therefore, an urge for enhancing India–CEE partnership now seems gradually gaining momentum, and positive measures, new synergies have been evolving. India’s multiple programmes ranging from ‘Make in India’, ‘Clean India’ to Skill India’ offer opportunities for enhancing cooperation. While taking a brief account of historical relationship between India and the CEE, the article analyses contemporary status of their relations. Finally, it examines the untapped potential of India–CEE cooperation, major challenges and prospective policy orientations.