Amidst growing air pollution in Delhi, German Chancellor Angela Markel arrived in India on Thursday night. The visit lasted for a day or two during which she holds talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral issues.
They will be meeting to discuss a host of bilateral issues. Both two countries have decided to sign 20 agreements. She will also be attending a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday morning. Later, she will pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Ministry of External Affairs tweeted on Thursday- “Enriching the strategic texture of our relationship. German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Delhi beginning her State visit to India during which she, along with PM@narendramodi will co-chair the 5th -IGC(Inter-Government Consultations). Both the countries are meeting 5th time this year.”
The fifth IGC will be co-chaired by Angela Merkel following the two leaders making the press statements. Soon after there will be a list of agreements that will be signed between the two sides. In a recent statement on October 25th by MEA, it says that both the countries need to discuss various respective areas.
Henceforth, the two sides will be discussing the deepening of cooperation in traditional sectors such as transport, energy and skill development. It will be initiated in order for them to explore possibilities for cooperation in newer areas like green urban mobility and artificial intelligence.
President Ram Nath Kovind will be attending Merkel in the evening and will also host a meeting with PM Modi at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Both countries will be having separate engagements with CEOs and business leaders. She will also be meeting Gurgaon based Continental Automotive Components India Pvt Ltd in Manesar over a business delegation.
Both India and Germany are strategic partners since 2001 and they share a friendly relationship with each other. Germany is also India’s largest trading comrade where India was ranked 25th in Germany’s global trade during 2018.