Merkel’s visit to India will cover security, clean energy, infrastructure

Ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit, Germany on Thursday said it was high time India and the European Union resumed negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), which they had deliberated upon for years before India pulled out of talks.

“You must understand that for us Germans, the security of the state of Israel is also of great importance,” he said.

Aside from legal issues and housing problems, budget is also an immediate concern.

“I think Iran has a lot of influence over what happens in Syria“, Merkel said at a news conference in Berlin, according to Reuters.

Islamic Studies expert Lamya Kaddor said mediators could help defuse simmering conflicts and rejected the idea that an “explosive mix” had been brewing as the “populist chatter” of xenophobes.

Not everyone felt the love, and Merkel’s conservative Bavarian allies, the CSU, led the charge, labeling the policy a “mistake” and the influx through their state capital Munich an “emergency situation“.

The IGC is a unique summit-level dialogue with cabinet participation of both governments.

Focusing their attention mainly on culture, business and issues relating to nuclear non-proliferation and climate change, German leaders have often shied away from discussing grand strategy with their Indian counterparts.

The Chancellor will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.

“The bilateral meetings will be followed by plenary session – the core format of consultations”. “It takes two to tango”, said Ney, who recently took over as the ambassador of Europe’s economic powerhouse. He stressed that Germany was committed to work closely with India. The two sides “will not just talk the talk, but deliver tangible results”, he said, adding, “let it be suffice to say that the outcome will reflect the broad spectrum of deliberations of the consultations”.

Ney said bilateral relations have been on a steady upswing since taking up this format of cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is creating more jobs and promoting his policies of attracting manufacturing industry to India under the slogan “Make in India” and of creating smart cities. “We would like to congratulate this decision,” he said.

Merkel will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 5. Dr. Merkel will fly to Bengaluru to spend the third day of her trip touring German enterprises in India’s Silicon Valley. The leaders will head to the Bosch innovation centre and the vocational training centre and will visit the Business Forum to see how German and Indian companies provide solutions to Indian, German and worldwide customers.

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has seen its imports to India dip by 18 per cent – from $15.6 billion in 2011-12 to $12.7 billion in 2014-15 – since the last India-EU leaders’ summit in 2012.

Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe, and has consistently been among India’s top 10 global trade partners.