Germany and India seek to deepen their relationship
New agreements were signed to strengthen the cooperation between Berlin and New Delhi in various areas ranging from defence via raw materials through to skilled workers.
Ahmedabad (dpa, d.de) – Germany and India would like to cooperate more closely in the future. A total of 27 memorandums of understanding and announcements to this end were signed today, on the occasion of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India. Mr Merz met with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad in the State of Gujarat, Mr Modi’s native region. To be welcomed here is considered a special gesture of appreciation. On his two-day trip, Friedrich Merz is accompanied by a large business delegation. This visit to India is the German Federal Chancellor’s first longer trip to Asia.
Closer collaboration in the defence sector is the key aim of the cooperation agreements. India plans to build six submarines worth eight billion euros in Mumbai, together with the German company Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). In its latest statistic, the Swedish peace research institute SIPRI listed India as the world’s largest arms importer.
Planning also provides for more intense cooperation in rare earths mining, promotion of young hockey players from both countries, as well as in connection with recruitment of skilled workers for the German healthcare system. The number of Indian employees contributing to social insurance in Germany rose from around 25,000 to 170,000 between 2015 and 2025, according to information published by the Federal Employment Agency.
Mr Merz also spoke about the protests that are currently taking place in Iran. He described the violence used by security forces against protesters as “out of proportion” and “brutal”. “I am calling on the Iranian leaders to protect their population rather than threaten it,” Mr Merz said, adding that the violence was not a sign of strength but of weakness and that it “has to stop”.
