Atlanta, Oct 31 (IANS) Poland has secured India's support for its bid to become a permanent G20 member and hopes to join during the US presidency, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
Responding to a question from IANS at a press conference, Sikorski said the United States had tabled a resolution proposing permanent membership for Poland. He said he had been lobbying colleagues to support the move and had sought India's backing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed India's backing while receiving Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in India a few days earlier, Sikorski said.
"We are grateful for that."
Asked how long the membership process would take, he replied: "That depends. We hope it'll happen during the American presidency."
Sikorski referred to the forthcoming summit in Florida. He also said Britain had already invited Tusk to attend next year in Manchester.
"But as I've mentioned already, the British presidency has already invited us as well."
He did not give a firm date for a decision on Poland's application.
Sikorski said his campaign for support included discussions with counterparts from Argentina, Canada, Korea and Indonesia. He had also held discussions with Saudi Arabia, with a formal bilateral meeting planned for the following day.
He said almost all the counterparts he had approached had agreed to support Poland's membership.
"Some have already declared it publicly."
On relations with India, Sikorski described Tusk's visit as "extremely successful". The Polish leader had travelled with ministers responsible for areas offering scope for cooperation, alongside dozens of businesspeople, he said.
Sikorski also welcomed the prospect of an India-European Union free trade agreement. He said developments had accelerated and expressed hope that the agreement would benefit both sides.
He noted that some people in Poland had been sceptical about the EU-Mercosur agreement, but said the initial figures were encouraging. He expressed similar hopes for mutual benefits from an agreement with India.
Sikorski also referred to an Indian initiative when asked about efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
"Well, there is the Turkish initiative; as you know, there is the Indian initiative."
He urged quick action, citing the needs of people in the Global South. He did not provide details of the Indian initiative.
Asked whether he had held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Sikorski spoke of their longstanding relationship, which he said he greatly valued. He did not confirm a separate meeting.
The Polish minister also pointed to closer cooperation with Washington. He said he had sat beside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and exchanged views and ideas about common projects.
He declined to disclose the details but said more Polish-American initiatives on the international stage could be expected.
On bilateral ties, he said: "I'm glad to say that they're excellent, irrespective of who is in charge, either in Washington or in Warsaw."
Sikorski also addressed the difficulty of reaching agreement within the G20. Asked about the prospect of the meeting ending without a joint communiqué, he said he was not surprised, given the wars involving countries represented at the table.
"There are countries here represented that don't necessarily see eye to eye, but we need to keep the conversation going."
He said the discussions had covered freedom of navigation, energy and food security, issues he described as going back to the G20's roots.
The G20 was established in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis. It was elevated to a forum for national leaders in 2008, during the global financial crisis.
The African Union became a permanent G20 member at the New Delhi summit in September 2023, during India's presidency.