New Delhi: India and Germany have an “important responsibility” in stabilising global order in the current uncertain times, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Thursday, while highlighting the deepening of ties between New Delhi and Berlin in areas such as defence and education.
“We are entering an uncertain—the (German) ambassador used the word unruly, I would say uncertain at least—period in world affairs. Both strategic unpredictability and economic volatility are on the rise. Our two nations have an important responsibility for stabilising the global order and promoting peace, progress and prosperity. That is best done by expanding our convergences and taking forward a mutually beneficial agenda,” he added, speaking at German Unity Day celebration event in New Delhi.
“As we reflect on our ties, I am glad to note the steady growth of our bilateral trade and investment… a particularly noteworthy feature of our ties has been the enhanced people-to-people exchanges… our political cooperation has also intensified.”
India and Germany have seen ties deepen in the last few years, especially as Berlin continues to look to diversify markets for its exports. Under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, the partnership deepened across many sectors, while Berlin also promised to invest up to 10 billion euros in India by 2030 for public transport and energy transition projects under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP).
Jaishankar mentioned the “noticeable growth” in GSDP, with over 3.24 billion euros worth of investments through loans and grants already promised to be disbursed.
The other area where ties between the two countries have deepened is defence and security.
“I recognise too that our defence collaboration has picked up visibly. This has opened up many new possibilities,” he said.
German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of the firms bidding for the multi-billion-dollar Project 75 (India), or the P75I submarine programme.
Partnering with Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), the German firm is bidding to build six next-generation conventional submarines with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems, for the Indian Navy. Officials from the Indian Navy held sea trials for the AIP technology in April 2024. The other firm in contention is Spain’s Navantia, which has teamed up with Larsen & Toubro.
“Let me today express our deep appreciation for Germany’s clear stand in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. My counterpart, minister Johann Wadephul, was unambiguous in supporting India’s right to defend itself against terrorism. It is in full consonance with our belief that there should be zero tolerance towards terrorism,” said Jaishankar.
India and Germany are currently working on acceptable dates for a potential visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to India. Merz assumed power earlier this year and has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice on the margins of other multilateral summits.
Jaishankar’s appearance at the German Unity Day celebrations is an indication of the state of ties between New Delhi and Berlin. According to protocol, Indian officials including Union ministers as well as junior ministers often attend national day celebrations organised by various embassies and missions in New Delhi.
However, just a day earlier, the Indian government gave Turkish national day celebrations at Turkey’s embassy the miss, following Ankara’s open support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and its views on the Jammu & Kashmir issue at international fora including the UN.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)