Olaf Scholz's visit to India to give opportunity for strengthening ties: German official

In a statement, Bopp said, "The visit of German Chancellor to India scheduled in the month of October will give opportunity to strengthen the relationship between two countries. This will also give chance to have talk on success that have been achieved since the MoU signed two years ago."

Earlier on Tuesday, German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann that the second half of October would be a kind of 'German Mohotsav,' when Scholz will visit India for the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).

Scholz is expected to arrive in New Delhi with a large delegation comprising around seven to eight ministers, the envoy said.

Speaking to ANI, Ackermann said, "Basically, what we are going to have is a kind of a German Mohotsav. I would say that at the end of October, we'll have the intergovernmental consultations, where, indeed the Chancellor and seven - eight ministers will travel to Delhi. We have, at the same time, the Asia Pacific conference of the German business. And you'll have a lot of very very high-ranking German CEOs coming to Delhi in order to discuss German business in India and Asia."

"So basically, the last second half of October will be very German. And I'm very happy to receive so many different German elements. India will be a fabulous host, and as usual, we are looking forward to it," he added.

Highlighting the defence cooperation between India and Germany, the envoy stated, "We have significantly improved our presence here when it comes to the military-strategic cooperation in India."

Notably, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius during which they reviewed the ongoing defence cooperation activities, including exercises in the air and maritime domains.

The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the defence-industrial collaboration and enhance supply chain resilience.

German envoy said, "So, the ministers talked today in order to prepare their bilateral meeting at the end of October, in the context of these intergovernmental consultations. The Minister of the Defence of Germany will see Raksha Mantri here in Delhi, and they will certainly discuss many projects that are on the table. I think we've seen an increase of German defense production sales here and purchase here in India, and that is basically in conformity with the policy of the German government to close hands for the security."

Scholz visited India in February 2023 leading a high-level business delegation comprising CEOs of major German companies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz jointly addressed a Business Round table comprising top industry leaders from both sides.

The visit saw the release of a common paper titled "India-Germany Vision to Enhance Cooperation in Innovation and Technology" by both sides. Scholz was in New Delhi for the G20 summit as well which was hosted by India in September last year.

In 2022, PM Modi visited Berlin as part of the 6th Indo-German Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). During their talks, the two heads of government acknowledged the importance of digital transformation as a key driver for technological, economic and societal change.

Furthermore, Modi and Scholz had signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) establishing a Green and Sustainable Development Partnership.

Notably, India was also among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with Germany after the Second World War. The two nations marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2021. (ANI)