German Foreign Minister Wadephul arrives in India; highlights New Delhi's strategic role ahead of two-day visit

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 2 (ANI): German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann David Wadephul arrives in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning to commence a two-day official visit to India.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit is scheduled to take place from September 2 to September 3.

He will be visiting the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) before leaving for Delhi later in the day.

On September 3, Wadephul will meet Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, followed by a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi. He will depart from the country the same day.

Ahead of his visit, the German Foreign Minister underscored the vital role India plays as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region and on the global stage.

In a series of posts on X, Wadephul emphasised the close political, economic, and cultural ties between Germany and India, describing the expanding strategic partnership as having significant potential.

He also highlighted areas such as security cooperation, innovation, technology, and skilled workforce recruitment as key pillars of the bilateral relationship.

"India is a key partner in the Indo-Pacific. Our relations are close - politically, economically, culturally. The expansion of our strategic partnership has much potential: from security cooperation to innovation & technology to recruiting skilled workers,"

Wadephul said.

"India's voice, that of the world's most populous country and largest democracy, is also heard beyond the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. That is why I am travelling today for talks to Bangalore and New Delhi," he added.

The German Foreign Minister also emphasised the natural alliance between democracies like Germany and India, particularly in the face of growing geopolitical challenges.

"India plays a decisive role in shaping the international order of our century. We as democracies are natural partners in this. In view of massive geopolitical challenges, we want & must preserve the rules-based international order together," he concluded.

The visit follows Jaishankar's meeting with German Member of Parliament Jurgen Hardt in New Delhi last month, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and global development.

According to MEA, Germany is one of India's most valued partners in Europe. The two countries share a strong strategic partnership, which has grown steadily over the decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951. In March 2021, both sides marked 70 years of diplomatic ties.

Since May 2000, India and Germany have maintained a 'Strategic Partnership', which has been further strengthened by the launch of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) at the level of Heads of Government in 2011. The IGC framework enables a comprehensive review of cooperation and identifies new areas of engagement at the Cabinet level. India is among a select group of countries with which Germany has such a dialogue mechanism. (ANI)

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