PM Modi and Olaf Scholz will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). India has the IGC only with Germany, which is held every two years, as per news agency ANI report.
The 6th IGC will be followed by a high-level roundtable where Prime Minister and Chancellor Scholz will interact with the top CEOs of both countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted and addressed the Indian diaspora in Germany.
In his departure statement ahead of the three-nation visit, the Prime Minister said his visit to Berlin will be an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral discussions with Chancellor Scholz.
"I see this IGC as an early engagement with the new government in Germany, within six months of its formation, which will be helpful to identify our priorities for the medium and long term," he said.
Significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Europe tour:
- India and Germany have had a 'Strategic Partnership' since 2001, which has been further strengthened with three rounds of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC).
- The last IGC was co-chaired by PM Modi and German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel who visited India. The fifth round of IGC was held from October 31-November 1, 2019.
- The consultations were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Noting the long-standing commercial ties between India and Germany, the Prime Minister informed that he will also jointly address a business roundtable with the goal of energising industry to industry cooperation, which will help strengthen the post-Covid economic recovery in both the countries.
- PM Modi's three-nation visit will have a substantial and comprehensive agenda during his bilateral and multilateral meetings.
- Additionally, the Prime Minister scheduled to visit Denmark on Tuesday to hold talks with leaders from Nordic countries, along with other high-level interactions, the visit will conclude with a stopover in Paris on Wednesday where the Prime Minister will meet the newly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron.
(With inputs from agencies)
