German Chancellor Scholz begins India visit; Ukraine, trade on agenda
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz kickstarted his two-day visit to India on Saturday. The Russia-Ukraine crisis, China's actions in the Indo-Pacific, and boosting the bilateral cooperation in the green transition and trade are expected to be high on the agenda. Notably, this is the first standalone visit by a German chancellor to the country since the establishment of the biennial inter-governmental consultation (IGC) in 2011.
Why does this story matter?
This visit from the German chancellor marks an opportunity for the Indian side to understand better Germany's policy on the Indo-Pacific, where Beijing's assertive and aggressive moves have become a significant concern for numerous nations. Furthermore, the two countries will also look at ways to grow bilateral trade. This is also Scholz's first visit to India after becoming the Chancellor of Germany in 2021.
Scholz gets grand welcome in New Delhi
Scholz received a ceremonial welcome on the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan soon after he landed in New Delhi on Saturday, just a day after the first anniversary of Russia's Ukraine invasion. Notably, the crisis in Ukraine has featured prominently during deliberations at the recent G20 finance ministers' meeting in Bengaluru. It was brought up by German finance minister Christian Lindner at the conference.
MEA spokesperson issues statement on Scholz's visit
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi announced German Chancellor Scholz's arrival in India on Twitter. He tweeted, "Welcome to India! German Chancellor...Olaf Scholz arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. This is his first visit to India after assuming office. Chancellor Scholz was received by [Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary] at the airport."
Bagchi shared visuals of Scholz's arrival in New Delhi
India, Germany already have very good relations: Scholz
At a media brief before his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Scholz said: "We already have very good relations between India and Germany." "I hope that we will strengthen these 'very good' relations and that we will discuss intensely about all the topics relevant to the development of our countries but also for peace in the world, which is important."
Video of German chancellor's media address
Details on Scholz and Modi's talks
The ongoing Ukraine-Russia war was expected to be one of the prominent topics of Scholz and Modi's talks on Saturday, as per reports. According to news agency PTI, the two leaders were also set to discuss further expanding the overall bilateral ties in a number of key areas, including clean energy, investment, trade, and new technologies.
Know about major topics of Scholz's talks with Modi
Before Scholz's visit, German Ambassador to India and Bhutan, Philipp Ackermann, revealed that geopolitics and the challenging global environment, climate change, business, and mobility of skilled Indian workers were four major topics that the chancellor will discuss with PM Modi. He also said China's actions across the Indo-Pacific region and the ongoing Ukraine conflict would also be high on the agenda.
