We're looking forward to intensifying ties with India in years to come: German envoy

New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI) German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann said his country will have a new government soon, but there will be a "huge continuity" when it comes to the political relationship with India and Berlin will continue its focus on New Delhi.

Interacting with PTI on the sidelines of an event here Wednesday night, he also said, "We are looking forward to intensifying our relationship in the years of come." The envoy also expressed optimism over the EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated by the end of this year.

Asked how Germany looks at the EU-India FTA prospects, Ackermann said, "We think it is a game-changer for our business in India and you will see more investment, no doubt".

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen accompanied by the College of Commissioners visited India late February, during which she also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister and the European Commission president in February had issued directions to conclude the ambitious free trade agreement by the end of this year as the two leaders vowed to expand the India-EU strategic partnership in areas of defence, security and critical technology.

In his media statement after talks with Von der Leyen, Modi described the India-EU strategic partnership as "natural and organic" and one that is based on "trust" and shared belief in democratic values.

In October 2024, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Olaf Scholz had co-chaired the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations here during his visit to India.

"I am very confident that we will have the continuation of this very, very intense cooperation between Germany and India, and also Europe and India," Ackermann said.

"We will have a new government in a couple of weeks, but I can assure you there will be a huge continuity when it comes to the political relationship with India, we will continue our focus on India, continue to work together with India, we are looking forward to intensifying our relationship in the years of come, so basically there is no change in the Germany-India policy, even with the new government," he said when asked about the status of the bilateral ties.

The envoy also shared what are some of the new areas or avenues where the countries could engage in cooperation.

"You have seen tonight (Wednesday night) that climate change, global warming, clean and sustainable development are at the core of our collaboration but also you have to say that there are big, big range of other things that come to mind.

"Migration is one of them, legal and fair migration... to Germany, skilled labour..we are in dire need of skilled labour, so we will try to... together with the Indian government.. There is strong business point to be made, more and more German businesses look towards India and at India, to diversify their investment. In particularly the defence area, where we have areas to be explored, between Germany and India," he said.

The envoy also emphasised that one thing where Germany and India have to sit together is the "geopolitical situation", and said "we are living in difficult times, therefore it is good to compare notes on assessment and approaches to global problems".

The event was a 'climate talk' titled "Invest in Green Growth: How can Europe and India foster economic opportunities for a sustainable future?", hosted under the umbrella of German-Indian Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP).

In May 2022, Scholz and Modi had signed the GSDP, which gears cooperation between the two countries across different sectors towards the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

It was held to mark the visit of climate envoys of Denmark, the European External Action Service, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The talks saw participation also from stakeholders from the private sector, civil society and others.

Underling that imposing tariffs on goods is "not to our liking", the German ambassador, during the interaction on the sidelines of the event, also said "time is high, time is good" to develop the EU-India FTA.

The envoy recently had also said that the Indo-German partnership in science and education is "stronger than ever" and it is one of the building blocks of the bilateral ties.

Heads of leading German universities and representatives of various academic institutions visited Hyderabad and New Delhi in March to enhance institutional partnerships and explore new academic collaborations between the two countries. PTI KND ZMN

Source: PTI