Article Posted on : - Oct 28, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a meeting at his residence, in New Delhi, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Photo: @narendramodi/ X)

NEW DELHI (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor at a time when the world is faced with tensions, conflicts and uncertainty.

Participating in the Seventh Inter-Governmental Consultations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, PM Modi said India-Germany ties were a transformational partnership of two capable and strong democracies and not a transactional relationship.

"The world is passing through times of tensions, conflicts and uncertainty. In the Indo-Pacific region, there are serious concerns about the rule of law and freedom of navigation. In times like this, the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor," Modi said.

The Prime Minister recalled that this was Scholz's third visit to India and marked the "triple celebration" of the friendship between India and Germany.

"In the last IGC in Berlin in 2022, we took important decisions for our bilateral cooperation. In two years, there has been encouraging progress in various sectors of our strategic relations. There has been increasing cooperation in areas such as defence, technology, energy, green and sustainable development that have become symbols of mutual trust," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also welcomed the ‘Focus on India’ strategy announced by Germany.

"I am delighted that to expand and elevate our partnership, we are taking several new and important initiatives and moving from the ‘Whole of Government’ to the ‘Whole of Nation’ approach," Modi said.

The IGC framework was launched in 2011 and allows for a comprehensive review of cooperation and identification of new areas of engagement between the two countries across various sectors.