P4M and V4+India: Multilateralism and Central European Outreach

The P4M and V4+India meetings are reforming multilateralism and improving India’s central European outreach. Read here to learn more.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in two significant diplomatic initiatives on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York: the inaugural Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace & Prosperity (P4M) Summit on 21 September 2026 and the first V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

The 81st UNGA session opened on 8 September 2026 under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”

The two engagements are significant for India’s foreign policy because they combine global institutional reform with deeper engagement with Central Europe.

What is Partners for Multilateralism (P4M)?

Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) is an open, flexible initiative launched on 21 September 2026 on the margins of UNGA High-Level Week.

Its initial co-sponsors are:

• Australia
• Barbados
• Brazil
• Canada
• European Union
• India
• Kenya

The initiative seeks to strengthen multilateral cooperation, international law, peace, inclusive development and shared prosperity. Importantly, its declaration states that the participating countries seek an open and practical framework rather than an exclusive bloc.

Core objectives

P4M seeks to:

• Strengthen the UN-centred multilateral system.
• Promote international law and peaceful settlement of disputes.
• Make global institutions more representative and effective.
• Address emerging challenges such as AI, digital transformation and climate change.
• Strengthen global health cooperation.
• Promote resilient and diversified global supply chains.
• Support reform of the international financial architecture.
• Improve cooperation with regional organisations.

India’s Stand at the P4M Summit

1. Reformed Multilateralism

• India has consistently argued that institutions created in the aftermath of the Second World War do not adequately reflect the contemporary distribution of economic, demographic and political power.
• The central concern is that inadequate representation can weaken the legitimacy and effectiveness of global institutions.
• India therefore advocates reformed multilateralism, greater representation, more inclusive decision-making, greater legitimacy
• The P4M declaration similarly calls for multilateral institutions, particularly the UN, to become more effective, representative, inclusive and fit for purpose.

2. The “4F” Crisis

India highlighted the interconnected risks involving fuel, food, fertiliser, and finance

• Disruptions in any one of these areas can generate consequences across the global economy.
• For developing countries, simultaneous disruptions can result in supply shocks, higher prices, inflation, fiscal pressure, food insecurity, and developmental setbacks
• Jaishankar argued that this “4F crisis” cannot be left to itself, particularly when geopolitical conflicts and economic restrictions can disrupt international supply chains.

India’s concern: The issue is especially significant for the Global South, where many economies remain vulnerable to external energy, food, fertiliser and financial shocks.

3. De-risking and Supply-Chain Diversification

India also highlighted the risks arising from chokepoint dominance, supply-chain disruptions and excessive economic dependence.

Rather than complete economic decoupling, the emphasis is on:

De-risking, Diversification, Resilience

This can involve:

• Multiple suppliers.
• Alternative transportation routes.
• Strategic reserves.
• Diversified energy sources.
• Greater domestic manufacturing.
• Trusted international partnerships.

This approach is particularly relevant after disruptions to global supply chains caused by geopolitical conflicts, pandemics and trade restrictions.

4. Global Governance of Emerging Technologies

India called for international frameworks and guardrails covering emerging technologies.

Key areas include:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital technologies
• Space security
• Emerging technological capabilities

This reflects a broader governance challenge:

Technology is increasingly global, while regulation remains predominantly national.

Consequently, divergent national rules can create regulatory fragmentation, while the absence of rules can generate risks involving security, privacy, misinformation, cyber threats and responsible AI deployment.

The P4M declaration similarly identifies AI and digital transformation among areas requiring stronger international coordination.

What is the Visegrad Group (V4)?

The Visegrad Group (V4) is a regional cooperation grouping comprising:

• Czech Republic
• Hungary
• Poland
• Slovakia

The group was established in 1991 in the Hungarian town of Visegrad.

Its cooperation covers areas including:

• Political coordination
• Economic cooperation
• Culture
• Energy
• Defence and security
• Regional cooperation

All four V4 members are members of the European Union and NATO.

V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The first V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in New York on 21 September 2026, under Slovakia’s V4 presidency.

The meeting brought together India’s External Affairs Minister with the foreign ministers of the four V4 countries.

The discussions covered:

Area	Potential areas of cooperation
Trade & investment	Greater commercial engagement
Technology	Innovation and technology partnerships
Supply chains	Resilient and diversified value chains
Defence	Security and defence cooperation
Connectivity	Transport and economic connectivity
Education	Academic and research partnerships
Mobility	Skilled mobility and people-to-people links
Business	Greater interaction between enterprises
Multilateralism	Coordination in international forums

The ministers also agreed to pursue annual V4+India Foreign Ministers’ meetings and an Annual Business Forum.

V4 Support for India’s UNSC Bid

A significant outcome was the collective support of the four V4 countries for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

• The four countries, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, expressed support for India’s inclusion as a permanent member.
• However, such political support from individual countries does not by itself amend the UN Charter or confer permanent membership.
• UNSC reform requires the necessary agreement among UN members and amendment of the Charter.

Why Does UNSC Reform Matter?

The present Security Council consists of:

• 5 Permanent Members: United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom
• 10 Ten Non-Permanent Members: The non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

The permanent members possess the veto power on substantive matters.

India’s argument for reform rests on factors including:

• Its large population.
• Its significant economic and military capabilities.
• Its contribution to UN peacekeeping.
• Its role in the Global South.
• Its growing international diplomatic engagement.
• The need for broader geographical representation.

India has also advocated expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories.

Significance of V4 for India

1. Gateway to Central Europe

The V4 provides India with an additional platform for engagement with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

The region has increasing strategic relevance because of developments in:

• European security.
• Energy security.
• Manufacturing.
• Supply-chain restructuring.
• Defence.
• Connectivity.

The V4+India mechanism can therefore complement India’s existing bilateral relations with individual European countries.

2. Strengthening India-EU Engagement

All V4 members are EU members.

• Consequently, deeper engagement with the V4 can provide an additional channel for India’s engagement with European economic and political networks.
• Areas of potential cooperation include trade, investment, technology, green transition, mobility, supply chains.
• However, the V4 should not be viewed as a substitute for India-EU institutional engagement; rather, it provides another sub-regional platform.

3. Resilient Global Value Chains

The V4 region has important manufacturing capabilities, particularly in:

• Automotive industries.
• Electronics.
• Machinery.
• Batteries.
• Engineering.
• Advanced manufacturing.

Greater India-V4 engagement can therefore contribute to supply-chain diversification.

For India, this is relevant to its broader objectives of Make in India, manufacturing expansion, Global Value Chain integration, and supply-chain resilience

4. Defence and Technology Cooperation

The V4 countries possess specialised industrial and technological capabilities.

Potential areas include:

• Aerospace.
• Defence manufacturing.
• Radar and electronics.
• Advanced engineering.
• Cybersecurity.
• Dual-use technologies.
• Research and innovation.

The focus can increasingly shift from conventional buyer-seller relationships towards co-development, joint production and technology partnerships.

5. Skilled Mobility and Education

Central European economies face demographic challenges and shortages in certain skilled sectors.

India, meanwhile, has a large pool of:

• Engineers.
• IT professionals.
• Researchers.
• Healthcare professionals.
• Technical workers.

Greater cooperation in education, research and skilled mobility could therefore create mutually beneficial opportunities.

The first V4+India meeting specifically identified education, mobility and people-to-people exchanges as areas for cooperation.

P4M and V4+India: Two Dimensions of India’s Diplomacy

The two initiatives represent complementary dimensions of India’s external engagement:

P4M	V4+India
Global platform	Regional/sub-regional platform
Reform of multilateral institutions	Central European engagement
International law	Trade and investment
Global South concerns	Technology and innovation
AI and digital governance	Defence and security
Global supply chains	Supply-chain resilience
International financial architecture	Education and mobility
UN reform	Support for India’s UNSC aspirations

Thus, India’s approach combines global institutional reform, regional partnerships, and issue-based coalitions.

Challenges

Despite the opportunities, several challenges remain.

1. Different strategic priorities: India and European countries may have different approaches towards major geopolitical conflicts, sanctions and security issues.
2. EU-level constraints: V4 countries operate within broader EU institutional and policy frameworks, limiting the extent to which individual members can independently shape certain economic policies.
3. Trade barriers: Differences over market access, standards, carbon-related measures and regulatory requirements can complicate India-EU economic relations.
4. Implementation deficit: Declarations and diplomatic support need to be translated into:

• Investment.
• Joint ventures.
• Technology partnerships.
• Research collaborations.
• Defence projects.
• Mobility agreements.

5. UNSC reform remains structurally difficult: Support from individual countries, while diplomatically significant, does not itself overcome the institutional requirements for Security Council reform.

Way Forward

1. Institutionalise V4+India: Regular foreign-ministerial meetings and the proposed Annual Business Forum should be accompanied by working groups on specific deliverables.
2. Focus on co-development: India should prioritise joint R&D, technology transfer, joint production, export partnerships rather than limiting cooperation to conventional trade.
3. Build resilient supply chains: Cooperation should focus on critical sectors such as:

• Semiconductors
• Pharmaceuticals
• Batteries
• Critical minerals
• Automotive components
• Renewable-energy technologies

4. Expand academic partnerships: Joint laboratories, researcher mobility, doctoral programmes and university-industry partnerships can deepen long-term technological cooperation.
5. Develop skilled-mobility frameworks: Transparent and mutually beneficial arrangements can facilitate mobility while addressing concerns relating to labour standards, qualifications and social security.
6. Translate P4M into practical cooperation: The P4M declaration already identifies supply chains, international finance, AI, climate change and global health as areas for cooperation.

The next step is to develop issue-specific coalitions and measurable outcomes rather than creating another layer of institutional architecture.

Conclusion

India’s participation in the P4M Summit and the first V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting reflects two interconnected strands of contemporary Indian diplomacy.

At the global level, India is advocating reformed and more representative multilateralism, greater resilience against supply-chain disruptions and international frameworks for emerging technologies.

At the regional level, engagement with the Visegrad Group provides an additional avenue for cooperation with Central Europe in trade, technology, defence, education, mobility and resilient supply chains. The four V4 members’ support for India’s permanent UNSC membership also adds diplomatic momentum to India’s longstanding reform campaign.

The broader challenge is to convert diplomatic coalitions into institutional and economic outcomes. For India, this means combining its Global South priorities with practical partnerships across regions while continuing to work through the UN and other multilateral institutions.