‘Germany keen on 2024 India visit for Chancellor Scholz’
BERLIN : Germany is keen to have Chancellor Olaf Scholz visit India in October 2024, according to persons aware of the matter. The visit is expected to coincide with the Asia Pacific Conference of German Business. Scholz, who has visited India twice this year, is also expected to attend the next round of intergovernmental consultations that take place once every two years.
The plan is for the two events to take place together. During the 2022 consultations, India and Germany unveiled a partnership on green energy and climate cooperation. The focus of the bilateral partnership, Indian officials indicated, will be on green energy, investment and migration over the coming years.
On the green energy front, both sides agreed to concentrate their efforts on green hydrogen, the establishment of green energy corridors and investments in renewables. The recent visit of petroleum minister Hardeep Puri to Germany was focused on green hydrogen, said persons aware of the matter. On investment, India has wooed German ‘mittlestand’—mid-sized companies—through a specialized programme.
New Delhi and Berlin are also looking to ease the flow of Indian skilled workers to Germany, where thee is a shortages. The two countries are also discussing an agreement on the sharing of military intelligence. Besides this, German defence firm ThyssenKrupp is eyeing the Indian defence market.
It has agreed to work with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, an Indian firm, to bid for a contract to build submarines for the Indian Navy. German officials indicated that they hope to see the deal swiftly finalized. A joint statement from the 2022 IGC meeting said, “Germany intends to strengthen its financial and technical cooperation and other assistance to India with a
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