Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Europe, arrived in Germany on Monday to hold his first personal meeting with newly-appointed Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
PM Modi and Olaf Scholzo Will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). According to a report by news agency ANI, only Germany has the IGC in India, which is conducted every two years.
The 6th IGC will be followed by a High Level Round Table Conference where Prime minister And Chancellor Scholz will hold talks with top CEOs from both countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted and addressed the Indian Diaspora in Germany.
In his departure statement ahead of the three-nation visit, the Prime Minister said that his visit to Berlin would be an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral discussions with Chancellor Scholz.
“I see this IGC as an early engagement within six months of the formation of the new government in Germany, which will be helpful in identifying our priorities for the medium and long term,” he said.
Significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Europe tour:
- India and Germany have a ‘Strategic Partnership’ since 2001, which has been further strengthened with three rounds of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC).
- The previous IGC was co-chaired by PM Modi and German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited India. The fifth round of IGC was conducted from 31 October to 1 November 2019.
- The consultation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Noting the long standing commercial ties between India and Germany, the Prime Minister informed that he would also jointly address a Business Roundtable with the goal of activating industry-to-industry cooperation between the two countries. Will help strengthen the economic recovery after Kovid.
- PM Modi’s three-nation visit will have a substantial and comprehensive agenda during his bilateral and multilateral meetings.
- Additionally, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Denmark on Tuesday to hold other high-level talks with the leaders of the Nordic countries, the visit culminating in a stopover in Paris on Wednesday where the Prime Minister will meet the newly-elected. French President Emmanuel Macron.
(with inputs from agencies)