Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and discussed a range of issues focused on strengthening bilateral strategic ties. Modi welcomed Scholz at his official residence and they are understood to have exchanged views on areas such as defence, trade and clean energy. Scholz arrived in Delhi late Thursday night as part of his three-day official visit to India. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai welcomed him.
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On meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that I welcome you and your delegation to the 7th Inter-Governmental Consultations between India and Germany. This is your third visit to India and fortunately, this is the first IGC of my third term. In a way, it is a triple celebration of our friendship. He said that in the last IGC in Berlin in 2022, we had taken important decisions for our bilateral cooperation. In two years, there has been encouraging progress in various areas of our strategic relations. Growing cooperation in areas like defence, technology, energy, green and sustainable development has become a symbol of mutual trust.
Modi said that the world is passing through a period of tension, conflicts and uncertainty. There are also serious concerns about the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. At such a time, the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor. He said that this is not a transactional relationship, it is a transformative partnership of two capable and strong democracies. He said that in this regard, we welcome the India focus strategy released by you. I am pleased that to expand and advance our partnership, we are taking several new and important initiatives and moving from a whole-of-government to a whole-of-nation approach.
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The Prime Minister said that we participated in the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business. Shortly we will also participate in the CEOs Forum. This will boost our economic cooperation. This will also accelerate diversification of our economies and reduce risks. This will also help in creating a safe, reliable and trustworthy supply value chain. In line with our commitment to climate change, we have created a platform for investment in renewable energy globally. He said that the Green Hydrogen Roadmap has also been released today. We are glad that work is going on between India and Germany on education, skills and mobility. We welcome the Skilled Labor Mobility Strategy released by Germany. I am confident that today’s meeting will take our relations to new heights.
Earlier, while addressing the Asia Pacific Conference of German Business 2024, Modi said that Germany has decided to increase the number of visas for skilled Indians every year from 20 thousand to 90 thousand. I am confident that this will give a new impetus to Germany’s development. Our mutual trade has reached a level of more than $30 billion. He said that I do not see this conference only in the limited scope of trade and investment, I see it as a partnership for a better future of the Indo Pacific region and the world. The world needs stability and sustainable development…Indo Pacific is vital for the future of the world. Both the contribution and potential of this sector are very wide.
