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Focus on India: Foreign Minister Wadephul visits strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific
Foreign Minister Wadephul meets his Indian counterpart Jaishankar © Photothek Media Lab
Foreign Minister Wadephul’s trip to Bangalore and New Delhi will centre on the strategic partnership, which Germany and India intend to intensify through even closer cooperation across the entire spectrum. Dialogue on business, technology, space and security will also be the focus of attention.
India, with whom we are celebrating 25 years of strategic partnership this year, is an essential key partner for us in the Indo-Pacific region. Foreign Minister Wadephul is visiting the country in order to expand this partnership in areas ranging from business and technology to security policy. The potential for more intensive cooperation with the world’s largest democracy is huge.
Foreign Minister Wadephul stated the following prior to his departure:
With our Strategic Partnership, our academic cooperation and our cultural agreement dating back 25, 50 and almost 60 years respectively, India is a strategic partner for Germany across the board in the Indo-Pacific and plays a crucial role in the system of global partnerships. We want to further deepen our relations across the entire spectrum and to strengthen them in particular in areas where potential has not yet been met. This is in our two countries’ mutual interest.
Innovation meets partnership: itinerary in Bangalore
The first stop on the trip is Bangalore, India’s vibrant innovation metropolis.
Before setting off, Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasised:
India is a rising and rapidly developing economic powerhouse and already a very promising global technology hub. It offers German companies great opportunities in terms of innovation, trade and supply chain diversification. India is a key partner for us worldwide as regards giving our economy a broader focus and making it more stable. This dynamism, which makes India so innovative, is exactly what I want to see for myself in Bangalore, in the heart of India, where I also want to explore even greater opportunities for cooperation.
At the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the focus will be on scientific and technological cooperation. India is already an important player in civilian space activities with whom we want to work more closely. Visits to the Mercedes-Benz research and development centre and the SAP campus show that already around 2000 German enterprises are investing heavily in India’s future and intensifying German-Indian economic cooperation. In the global innovation hub of Bangalore, Foreign Minister Wadephul will speak with skilled workers and managers about digitisation, mobility and prospects for skilled workers in Germany. The visit to the Goethe-Institut will centre on language training for highly qualified skilled workers from India, who are urgently needed in Germany. Scientific cooperation will be the focus of the visit to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), one of the leading research institutions in Asia. Topics such as the green transformation and artificial intelligence bring together German and Indian interests.
Visit to New Delhi: dialogue on global issues
India and Germany share fundamental interests in a shifting world order – for example in strengthening multilateralism, international law and a rules based trade system. As democracies, India and Germany are natural partners. In the capital New Delhi, Foreign Minister Wadephul will engage in dialogue on these topics with representatives of Indian think tanks.
High level political talks with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, among others, will focus not least on global security, regional stability and building on the strategic partnership between India and Germany.
A reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific
Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world – as well as a lively democracy with mounting international influence. Prior to his departure, Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasised:
Germany and India have set themselves the goal of expanding and strengthening their mutual relations. This is a partnership based on mutual trust and reliability.
His visit underscores the fact that Germany is counting on partnership with India in the areas of politics, business and science.