New Delhi: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday hailed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations with India – a key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific – emphasising that his government wants to continue the success story, especially after the adoption of a key policy document ‘Focus on India’ by his Cabinet, last week.
“In this world we need friends and allies – just like India and Germany,” Scholz posted on X after holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi.
He was responding to PM Modi’s post, welcoming the German Chancellor to his residence.
“Glad to be meeting him and discussing a diverse range of issues that will add momentum to the India-Germany friendship. Our nations have a strong track record of developmental cooperation and we look forward to building on this in the times to come,” wrote Prime Minister Modi.
Both leaders later inaugurated and addressed the 18th Asia Pacific Conference of German Business (APK 2024) and also held the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) at the Hyderabad House under the motto ‘Growing Together with Innovation, Mobility and Sustainability’.
Just before Chancellor Scholz’s India visit, the German Cabinet had adopted the policy document ‘Focus on India’ on October 16, which will examine the further development of bilateral relations with India.
“As the fifth largest economy in the world, India already plays a key role in global efforts to protect our climate, biodiversity and achieve the sustainability goals of Agenda 2030. In a region where the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the rules-based international order have come under pressure, India plays a stabilizing role. India also plays a central role for Germany as a country of origin for well-trained specialists,” stated the German Foreign Ministry.
As India-Germany celebrate the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership next year, Berlin wants to take its relations with New Delhi to a new level, the initial steps to which were agreed upon at the IGC consultations on Friday.
Both leaders also discussed enhanced security and defence cooperation during their meeting.
The German Chancellor will travel to Goa on Saturday where the German naval frigate ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and combat support ship ‘Frankfurt am Main’ are making a scheduled port call as part of Germany’s Indo-Pacific deployment.
“The geopolitical lines of conflict in the Indo-Pacific and the region’s high economic dynamism will have a significant impact on the international order of the 21st century. It is therefore necessary to expand the partnership with India in the area of security and defence policy,” said the German Foreign Office.
(IANS)
