Vinod Bhat
New Delhi, Jan 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India and Germany are committed to further strengthening their strategic partnership, as he addressed a joint press meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the latter’s first visit to India and Asia as Chancellor.
Welcoming Merz on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, Modi said the visit renewed the historic intellectual and spiritual bridge between the two countries. He noted that the year marks 75 years of diplomatic relations and follows the completion of 25 years of the India–Germany strategic partnership.
The Prime Minister said bilateral trade between the two nations has reached a historic high, crossing $50 billion, and highlighted the long-standing presence of more than 2,000 German companies in India. He said growing trade and investment ties have injected new energy into the partnership, a trend reflected at the India–Germany CEO Forum held earlier in the day.
Modi said cooperation in technology and renewable energy has steadily strengthened, with both countries sharing common priorities in climate action and clean energy. He announced the decision to establish an India–Germany Centre of Excellence as a shared platform for knowledge, innovation, and technology, and described a joint green hydrogen mega project as a potential game-changer for future energy needs.
On defence and security, Modi said increasing cooperation reflects mutual trust and confirmed that both sides would work on a roadmap to enhance defence industrial collaboration, including co-development and co-production.
Emphasising people-to-people ties, the Prime Minister referred to the influence of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda in Germany and recalled Madame Cama’s unfurling of the Indian flag there. He said both countries are focusing on migration, mobility, skilling, higher education, and sports cooperation, and welcomed Germany’s announcement of visa-free transit for Indian citizens.
Modi said India and Germany are aligned on global issues, including support for peaceful resolution of conflicts such as Ukraine and Gaza, a united stand against terrorism, and the need for reforms in global institutions, including the UN Security Council, through the G4 framework.
He expressed confidence that Chancellor Merz’s visit would provide renewed direction and momentum to India–Germany relations
