New Delhi: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is “pleased” by India’s willingness to use its reliable relationship with all parties to the Russia-Ukraine war and to contribute in bringing about a peaceful political solution to end this conflict.
“Especially in times like these, it is of the utmost importance that India is an anchor of stability in South Asia. The international rules-based order has come under massive pressure as a consequence of Russia’s attack on Ukraine,” said the German chancellor, in a statement to the press after the intergovernmental consultations that led to the conclusion of a key intelligence pact with New Delhi Friday.
Scholz added: “I approve that India supports a lasting and just peace and I am pleased about your readiness to make use of the reliable relations that you have developed with all parties to contribute to a political solution of the conflict.”
The German chancellor’s friendly ties with India is a change in approach by Berlin from the previous administration under chancellor Angela Merkel, who took a more guarded approach towards India, especially in key areas such as defence and security ties.
Under Scholz, India-Germany ties have expanded across all areas. One of the key changes has been giving India an easier approval process for the procurement of defence and security related systems.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the growing defence partnership between the two countries as a “symbol of our deep mutual trust” during his statement to the press. “The growing cooperation in the defence and security sectors is a symbol of our deep mutual trust. The agreement on the exchange of classified information is a new step in this direction,” he said.
Scholz has made three visits to India since assuming office as chancellor in 2021. His first visit to India was in February 2023, followed by a second visit for the G20 Leaders’ Summit last September.
He is currently on a three-day visit, highlighting the consistent level of engagement at the highest levels between the two governments.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been a major concern for Germany, which has had to spend the last two years extricating itself from its dependency on Moscow for its energy needs. Scholz raised the issue of the war earlier in the day while addressing the 18th Asia Pacific Conference of German Business, which is being held in New Delhi Friday and Saturday.
While the European Union (EU) and Germany have stepped up its economic sanctions against Russia, New Delhi’s economic partnership with Moscow has deepened, especially in the energy sector. Russia is one of India’s largest trading partners in oil. It has been an issue at the forefront of the German government’s discussions with India in the current set of visits by a number of Berlin’s senior ministers.
India is one of the few countries globally that has maintained close ties with Russia, while also remaining engaged with Ukraine and other countries that have a stake in the ongoing war, such as the US and its Western partners.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Russia twice this year–in July as well as earlier this week for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit.
Modi made a trip to Kyiv in August this year, where he met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He met Zelenskyy for a second time this year on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future in September as well.
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Key pacts signed
During the intergovernmental consultations, 18 agreements were concluded between the Indian and German governments including two joint declarations. Of these, eight have been disclosed. Two major agreements signed between India and Germany include the “Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information” and a “Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters”.
Two joint declarations on labour and mobility as well as research and development in advanced materials were also agreed to by both governments. The other agreements are mostly focused on green and sustainable development–a key area of ties between India and Germany.
In 2022, at the sixth intergovernmental consultations between India and Germany, the two countries had agreed to a “Joint Declaration of Intent on the establishment of an agreement on the exchange and mutual protection of classified information and on the establishment of an agreement to establish a direct encrypted connection between MEA and German Foreign Office”.
The pact signed Friday is a follow-up of that joint declaration of intent, indicating the seriousness with which both countries are looking at deepening their security partnership, a fact which was highlighted by Modi during his statement to the press.
The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters, according to Modi, “will strengthen our joint efforts to combat terrorism and separatist elements”.
Apart from these pacts, the two leaders also discussed the reform of the United Nations Security Council, the freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
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