New Delhi: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who arrived today on a two-day visit hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the evening. Sources indicate the Ukraine conflict, situation in the Indo-Pacific and ways to boost bilateral ties in areas of clean energy, trade and new technologies are to be discussed.
As per the schedule, Scholz arrived in Delhi at around 9.15 am. He was being accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan at 10 am. After his talks with Modi, Scholz will attend a business meeting. In the afternoon, he is scheduled to lay a wreath at Rajghat to pay respects to Mahatma Gandhi.
The schedule put out by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the German Chancellor will also call on President Droupadi Murmu. On Sunday morning, Scholz will leave for Bengaluru and is set to depart from the city at around 5.30 pm. This is his first to India after he became German Chancellor in December 2021. He is travelling to India a day after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sources familiar with the broad agenda of the high-level meeting said the consequences of the conflict, especially on food and energy security, are to be deliberated. Focus on expanding cooperation in areas of trade, defence, clean energy, climate change and new technologies are also expected to figure in the talks.
The two leaders will jointly take stock of the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific, where Chinese assertiveness has grown. Modi and Scholz held bilateral talks in the Indonesian resort city of Bali on November 16 on the sidelines of the last year G-20 summit. The first meeting between them took place when Modi visited Berlin on May 2 for the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) last year.
Modi later visited the Alpine castle of Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 26 and 27 where he attended the annual summit of G7 grouping. Scholz had invited Modi for the G7 summit under the German presidency. The India and Germany ties have been on an upswing in a range of key areas, a source pointed out. (with PTI inputs)
