New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said India counts on Germany’s support to deepen relations with the European Union (EU) and expedite negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In his remarks during a bilateral meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the EAM welcomed his German counterpart who is on his first visit to India in his capacity as Foreign Minister, and noted that it was taking place a few months after his own visit to Berlin, adding “which I think is a statement in itself,”
“As you noted before your departure from Germany, we are marking 25 years of strategic partnership, 50 years of scientific cooperation, almost 60 years of cultural agreements, and as you saw in Bengaluru almost a century of business interactions.”
He expressed happiness that the German Foreign Minister had the opportunity to visit Bengaluru and see the immense potential of the bilateral cooperation in technology.
“I am also very pleased that you brought along with you a very strong business delegation and some members of parliament,” he said, and added that they look forward to in-depth discussions on various dimensions of the bilateral partnership, and both sides will also be preparing for holding the intergovernmental consultation later.
“We count on your support to deepen our relationship with the European Union and expedite the FTA negotiations,” he added.
“India and Germany have a strong history of multilateral cooperation which, I am confident, will be further advanced through our talks today,” he added.
The German Foreign Minister, who was in Bengaluru yesterday, said on X: “India is a key partner in the Indo-Pacific. Our relations are close – politically, economically, culturally. The expansion of our strategic partnership has much potential: from security cooperation to innovation & technology to recruiting skilled workers.
“India’s voice, that of the world’s most populous country and largest democracy, is also heard beyond the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. That is why I am traveling for talks to Bangalore and New-Delhi.
“India plays a decisive role in shaping the international order of our century. We as democracies are natural partners in this. In view of massive geopolitical challenges, we want and must preserve the rules-based international order together.”
Besides bilateral cooperation, the two sides are likely to discuss the Ukraine conflict with Prime Minister Narendra Modi having just held a bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also appealed to PM Modi to speak with Moscow regarding ending the conflict.
UNI
