The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, will pay a state visit to India on February 25-26, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release on February 20. Mr. Scholz will arrive in Delhi on February 25 and will proceed to Bengaluru the next day.
He will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation, it said.
On his first visit to India as the Chancellor, Mr. Scholz will call upon President Droupadi Murmu as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Prime Minister and Chancellor will hold discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues. The two Leaders will also interact with CEOs and business leaders of both sides,” MEA said.
The Ministry further said that this will be the first standalone visit of a German Chancellor to India since the biennial Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism began in 2011,
The IGC is a whole-of-government framework under which Ministers from both countries hold discussions in their respective areas of responsibility and report on the outcome of discussions to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.
“Chancellor Scholz’s visit will enable both sides to take stock and progress on the key outcomes of the 6th IGC, strengthen security and defence cooperation, work towards closer economic ties, enhance opportunity for mobility of talent and give strategic guidance to ongoing collaboration in Science & Technology,” the press release said.
The India-Germany Strategic Partnership is underpinned by shared values, trust and mutual understanding. Robust investment and trade linkages, cooperation in the areas of green and sustainable development and growing people-to-people ties have strengthened bilateral relations. India and Germany also work closely at multilateral and international platforms, notably as part of the G4 for UNSC reforms, it added.
