India and Germany on Monday gave a fresh push to their strategic partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held wide-ranging talks during the Chancellor’s first official visit to India.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Chancellor Merz arrived in Ahmedabad early on Monday and was received by the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat. He is accompanied by a high-powered official and business delegation, underlining the strong focus on trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Misri noted that the timing of the visit is particularly meaningful as it coincides with 25 years of the India–Germany Strategic Partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
A key outcome of the visit was the finalisation of a comprehensive roadmap to deepen cooperation in the education sector. Speaking after the talks, Prime Minister Modi said the roadmap on higher education would give a new direction to bilateral ties in the academic field. He also invited German universities to set up campuses in India.
At a joint press conference, the Prime Minister thanked Chancellor Merz for announcing visa-free transit for Indian citizens, calling it a move that would strengthen people-to-people links between the two nations.
PM Modi and Chancellor Merz also addressed the India–Germany CEOs Forum in Ahmedabad, where business leaders from both sides discussed opportunities for closer economic engagement. The Prime Minister said bilateral trade has crossed the $50 billion mark for the first time, and noted that over 2,000 German companies have a long-standing presence in India.
Highlighting growing cooperation in technology and clean energy, PM Modi said India and Germany have decided to establish an India–Germany Centre of Excellence to serve as a platform for knowledge sharing, innovation and technological collaboration, especially in the renewable energy sector.
Several Memoranda of Understanding were also signed in the presence of the two leaders. Delegation-level talks were held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
The two-day visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral engagement across trade, investment, education, technology, defence, security, science, innovation and sustainable development, building on the long-standing partnership between India and Germany.
