Berlin:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday and the two leaders are expected to exchange views on strategic, regional and global developments.
The prime minister arrived in Berlin on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-country trip through Europe 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 assigned the guard of honor on his arrival in the forecourt of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin for talks with Chancellor Scholz.
“Expanding cooperation between India and Germany. Prime Minister @narendramodi and Chancellor Scholz meet in Berlin. @Bundekanzle,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
This is Prime Minister Modi’s first meeting with Scholz as German Chancellor, who took office in December 2021.
P.M @narendramodi and @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz begins bilateral talks.
This is their first engagement since Chancellor Scholz took office in December 2021.
The momentum of high-level exchanges with our strategic partner continues. pic.twitter.com/sQYkIY7D7M
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 2, 2022
Modi and Scholz will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultation (IGC).
Launched in 2011, the IGC is a unique biennial mechanism that allows the two governments to coordinate on a broad spectrum of bilateral issues. Many ministers from both sides will participate in the IGC.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will also participate in the meeting.
The 6th IGC will further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Germany.
This is Modi’s fifth visit to Germany after becoming prime minister. He had previously visited the European country in April 2018, July 2017, May 2017 and April 2015.
In his statement of departure, Prime Minister Modi had said his visit to Berlin will provide an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral talks with Chancellor Scholz, whom he met at the G20 last year in his previous capacity as Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister.
“I look forward to discussing strategic, regional and global developments with Chancellor Scholz that affect both of us,” Modi had said before his visit.
In 2021, India and Germany commemorated 70 years of diplomatic relations and have been strategic partners since 2000, Modi said.
Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe with more than $21 billion in bilateral trade.
PM Modi is also scheduled to interact with the Indian community in Germany.
Germany is home to a thriving Indian community of over 200 thousand.
The visit will chart the future course for deepening Indo-German ties, the MEA said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)