German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited India from October 24-26 to co-chair the Intergovernmental Consultation (IGC) - a leading biennial mechanism - with host country Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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| Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) and his German counterpart Olaf Scholz at a welcoming ceremony in New Delhi on February 25, 2023. (Source: Reuters) |
Setting up a new platform
The visit comes in the context of the German Cabinet approving on October 16 the strategic document “Focus on India” to elevate the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level.
This decision stems from Germany's assessment of the increasingly important role of India - the world's most populous country, the fifth largest economy globally and a weighty voice at important multilateral forums such as the G20, the expanded BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The document states that India is not only an important partner of Germany but also a key factor in shaping the world order. The document was adopted as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their Strategic Partnership in 2025 and right before Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to India.
Berlin’s “Focus on India” strategic document outlines priority areas for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. In the political-security field, the two sides will expand high-level dialogue between the foreign and defense ministries, enhance defense cooperation, and expand expert dialogue on regional issues, cyber security, and counter-terrorism.
In terms of economics and trade, Germany pledged to remove barriers preventing German businesses from accessing the Indian market and promote cooperation in renewable energy and green hydrogen.
In terms of science and technology, Germany will expand cooperation in the fields of science and technology, environmental protection and climate change. In particular, Germany plans to sharply increase the quota of work visas for Indian citizens from 20,000 to 90,000 people/year. Germany also commits to promoting cooperation in climate change by promoting dialogue between the EU and India on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Cooperation on common values
Since succeeding Angela Merkel in December 2021, Chancellor Scholz has been making a concerted effort to build a new relationship with the rising Asian power. He visited India twice last year, including a state visit in February and the G20 summit in New Delhi in September.
Ahead of his first official visit to India in February 2022 after becoming Prime Minister, Mr. Scholz emphasized: “India and Germany have a very good relationship and I want to further deepen this relationship.” In May 2022, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid an official visit to Germany. During that visit, the two Prime Ministers held talks and co-chaired the 6th India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultation and signed many cooperation documents.
During this visit, according to the German Chancellor's Office, "the two leaders will discuss strengthening security and defense cooperation, expanding opportunities for high-quality human resource exchanges, deeper economic cooperation, sustainable development as well as cooperation in emerging and strategic technology areas."
In New Delhi, Chancellor Scholz will co-chair the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations with Prime Minister Modi, focusing on assessing the progress of cooperation since the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding two years ago in important areas, especially defense.
In addition to holding talks with his Indian counterpart, Mr. Scholz also attended and spoke at the Asia-Pacific Business Summit (APK 2024) with the presence of about 650 leading business leaders from both countries. The large presence of businesses from both sides shows the determination to promote bilateral economic cooperation in the context of strong trade growth between the two countries, with turnover reaching 26 billion USD in 2023.
Germany is currently India's largest trading partner within the EU and one of India's top partners globally. There are around 2,000 German companies operating in India and direct investments are expected to reach €25 billion by 2022. German companies see a bright economic outlook in India with 82% expecting their revenues to increase over the next five years, and 59% planning to expand their investments.
During his visit, Chancellor Scholz will also visit the state of Goa, where the German destroyer Baden-Wuerttemberg and combat support ship Frankfurt am Main will dock as part of Berlin's deployment plan in the Indo-Pacific region to participate in exercises with the Indian Navy.
In the context of both New Delhi and Berlin wishing to come closer and need each other more, Chancellor Scholz's visit is expected to be not only a biennial diplomatic event, but more importantly, to demonstrate the commitment and determination of the leader of the emerging economy in Asia with the economic locomotive of Europe, especially in the context of the world witnessing changes with many hot spots showing no signs of cooling down.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-tuong-duc-tham-an-do-chuan-bi-cho-ky-nguyen-moi-291232.html
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