New Delhi: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday hoped that the already good ties between India and Germany will further strengthen. On his arrival, the German Chancellor said, "We already have good relations between Germany and India and I hope that we will strengthen this relationship".
"I hope we will discuss intensely all the topics relevant to the development of our countries and also the peace in the world", added German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz reached Delhi this morning and was accorded a warm welcome. He attended the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan during which he met PM Modi and other ministers.
Later today, Scholz is scheduled to meet PM Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi and discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations and other regional, and global issues. On 26 February, the German Chancellor will travel to Bengaluru.
Russia-Ukraine conflict, trade, and climate change will be the primary focus of the discussion today. His visit comes at a time of India's G20 presidency and also at a time of completion of one year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this is the first standalone visit since the commencement of the Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism between the two countries in 2011.
The IGC is a whole-of-government mechanism that brings together ministers and officials from both sides, who hold discussions in their domain areas and then report on the discussions during a plenary session chaired by Prime Minister and Chancellor.
Earlier, govt sources said that the Chancellor’s visit comes after a year of renewed engagement between India and Germany. PM and Chancellor Scholz met on three occasions in 2022- for the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (02 May 2022) and when the PM visited Berlin, with his delegation (Finance Minister, EAM, NSA, MOS (I/C) DST and Secretary DPIIT).
Chancellor invited PM for the G7 Summit held under German Presidency in June 2022 in Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, for which India was a partner country. The two leaders interacted on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Bali in November 2022.
"India and Germany share a strong economic partnership. Germany is India’s largest trade partner in the European Union and has consistently been among India’s top ten global trade partners. It is also one of the largest foreign direct investors in India", official sources had said.
As a symbol of close economic ties and the strong potential for enhanced cooperation, Chancellor Scholz will be accompanied by a high-powered business delegation. PM and Chancellor will also address a Business Roundtable today, comprising top industry leaders from both sides. The visit will see the conclusion of B2B agreements.
