Berlin: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz here and the two leaders are expected to exchange views on strategic, regional and global developments. Modi arrived in Berlin on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France. The visit comes amid the Ukraine crisis, which has united much of Europe against Russia.
Prime Minister Modi was accorded the Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin upon his arrival for talks with Chancellor Scholz. "Expanding India-Germany cooperation. PM @narendramodi and Chancellor Scholz meet in Berlin. @Bundeskanzle," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. This is Prime Minister Modi's first meeting with Scholz as German Chancellor, who assumed office in December, 2021. Modi and Scholz will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).
Launched in 2011, IGC is a unique biennial mechanism which allows the two governments to coordinate on a wide spectrum of bilateral issues. Many ministers from both sides will participate in the IGC. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will also participate in the meeting, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The 6th IGC will further strengthen the India-Germany strategic partnership, it said. This is Modi's fifth visit to Germany after becoming Prime Minister. He had earlier visited the European country in April 2018, July 2017, May 2017 and April 2015.
In his departure statement, Modi had said that his visit to Berlin will be an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral discussions with Chancellor Scholz, whom he met at G20 last year in his previous capacity as Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister. "I look forward to exchanging views with Chancellor Scholz on strategic, regional and global developments that concern us both," Modi had said ahead of his visit. In 2021, India and Germany commemorated 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and have been strategic partners since 2000, Modi said.
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Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe with a bilateral trade of over USD 21 billion. Modi is also scheduled to interact with the Indian diaspora in Germany. Germany is home to a thriving Indian diaspora of over 200 thousand. The visit will chart the future course for deepening Indo-German ties, the MEA said.
