Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation and deepening their military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training, and exchanges of senior officials, while noting with satisfaction regular reciprocal port calls by the naval ships of both countries.
The two leaders welcomed the establishment of a new Track 1.5 Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue between the two countries, according to the joint statement released following the talks held between PM Modi and Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Following their talks, PM Modi X wrote on X: “It was a pleasure hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. His visit has infused new momentum into India–Germany ties, as we mark 25 years of our Strategic Partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations. India is honoured that he has chosen our nation as the place of his first visit in Asia. This reflects his personal commitment to strong India-Germany relations.”
“We agreed to take our relationship to a qualitatively higher level, with deeper cooperation in defence, space and other critical and emerging technologies. Our discussions also covered joint efforts on climate action, trusted and resilient supply chains, skilling, education, sports and strengthening cultural and people-to-people ties,” he added.
PM Modi welcomed Germany’s intent to participate in Naval Exercise MILAN, and the 9th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs in February 2026, Air Combat Exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ in September 2026, and Germany’s decision to deploy a Liaison Officer to the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), according to the joint statement.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction at ongoing cooperation between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the Eurodrone MALE UAV programme, which will enable India to collaborate and harness advanced military technology and strengthen its strategic and defence ties with Europe.
The joint statement said: “The Leaders welcomed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent to develop a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to promote long-term industry-level collaboration, including technology partnerships, co-development and co-production of defence platforms and equipment. India welcomed Germany’s efforts to facilitate expeditious export clearances of defence equipment.”
“The Leaders appreciated the growing interaction between Indian and German Defence businesses through Defence Roundtables/Seminars held in Berlin and New Delhi and welcomed regular exchanges in this area. Both Leaders lauded the continuing cooperation in submarines, obstacle avoidance system for helicopters and Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), and looked forward to enhanced defence industrial collaboration by building a deepened relationship based on shared goals and complementarity of strength, namely skilled workforce and competitive costs from India and high technologies and investment from Germany,” it added.
PM Modi and Merz welcomed progress towards concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Peacekeeping training between institutions of India and Germany, a Reciprocal Logistics Support Agreement between armed forces, and knowledge exchange in the field of new Defence Technologies between DRDO and Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).
Both leaders condemned terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations and expressed commitment to strengthening cooperation against terrorists and terrorist entities, including those listed in the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee.
The joint statement said: “The two leaders unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They called for concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 and the terror incident in Delhi on 10 November 2025.”
“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorists and terrorist entities, including those listed in the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. Both sides also called upon all countries to continue to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure as well as to disrupt terrorist networks and financing in accordance with international law. The Leaders welcomed the ratification of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and noted the progress under the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism,” it added.
PM Modi and Chancellor Merz termed strong people-to-people ties a “vital pillar of the Strategic Partnership” and welcomed growing exchanges of students, researchers, skilled professionals, artists, and tourists. Both leaders expressed willingness to further strengthen legal mobility and expand cooperation on the return of persons required to leave the country and in the fight against irregular migration, human trafficking and document and visa fraud by fully implementing the provisions of the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA).
(IANS)
