German Chancellor Friedrich Merz begins his first trip to India on Monday, seeking greater market share weeks ahead of the FTA with the European Union (EU). French diplomatic advisor and G20 Sherpa Emmanuel Bonne will be in the capital Monday and Tuesday to prepare for French President Emmanuel Macron’s trip in February.
The German and French commitments will be immediately followed by a visit from Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
Read also: India-EU Free Trade Negotiations – Ministers say good progress has been made and at full speed in the coming days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Merz on Monday in Ahmedabad. The two men will review the progress made within the framework of the Indo-German strategic partnership, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Their discussions will also focus on intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skills and mobility, while advancing collaboration in important areas.
Green energy, technological collaborations
These include defense and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, as well as people-to-people ties with Germany. Priorities on the agenda will be mobility, trade and investment, science and technology, as well as a defense partnership.
The India-EU summit is scheduled for January 27.
There are nearly 300,000 Indian passport holders and people of Indian origin in Germany, including around 60,000 students. The Indian diaspora is mainly composed of professionals, researchers and scientists, entrepreneurs, nurses and students. There has been a significant increase in recent years in the number of qualified Indian IT, banking and finance professionals in this country.
At the same time, Sikorski’s visit will be the first by a Polish foreign minister after 2022. Visits by Polish ministers to India have been limited in recent years, as Warsaw strengthens ties with Pakistan, including as a gateway for munitions supplies to Ukraine from the Pakistan Ordinance Board.
In 2024, Modi visited Warsaw and met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The duo elevated India-Poland relations to the status of a “strategic partnership”. Their discussions covered a range of topics, including trade, investment, science, technology, defence, security, cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties.
The leaders identified opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as food processing, urban infrastructure, water management, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and other renewable energy, AI and mining. They also highlighted the importance of cultural ties, referring to the historical connection between the two countries.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar recently visited France and Luxembourg, seeking to strengthen ties ahead of the India-EU summit and visits by German and French leaders. The minister visited Macron and held bilateral talks with his counterpart, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot.
Jaishankar also attended the first India-Weimar Triangle meeting – attended by the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland – where he highlighted the importance of deepening India-Europe and India-EU relations.
About The Author
