Visit of the German Federal Chancellor H.E. Olaf Scholz to India for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations

The German Federal Chancellor H.E. Olaf Scholz paid an official visit to India from October 24-26, 2024. He was received with a ceremonial welcome by Minister of State for Home Affairs Mr. Nityanand Rai at the airport.

India and Germany have had strategic partnership since 2000. Over the years, this partnership has deepened and diversified across various sectors. The two countries are celebrating 50 years of Science and Technology collaboration this year and as they enter the 25th year of Strategic Partnership, the visit of Chancellor Scholz will pave the way for further strengthening of their bilateral ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly welcomed Chancellor Olaf Scholz on his third visit to India as Chancellor. Both leaders sincerely appreciated the renewed momentum in bilateral engagement across government, industry, civil society and academia that has played an instrumental role in advancing and deepening the Strategic Partnership between India and Germany.

7th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz co-chaired the seventh round of India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (7th IGC) on 25th October 2024 in New Delhi. The Delegation included Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Commerce & Industries, Labour & Employment, Science & Technology (MoS) and Skill Development (MoS) from the Indian side and Ministers of Economic Affairs & Climate Action, Foreign Affairs, Labour & Social Affairs and Education & Research along with Parliamentary State Secretaries for Finance; Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection; and Economic Cooperation and Development from the German side, as well as senior officials from both the sides.

Under the motto “Growing Together with Innovation, Mobility and Sustainability”, the 7th IGC placed particular emphasis on technology and innovation, labour and talent, migration and mobility, climate action, green and sustainable development as well as economic, defence and strategic cooperation. Both sides agreed that the aforementioned domains will be the key drivers of their multi-faceted partnership that spans trade, investment, defence, science, technology, innovation, sustainability, renewable energy, emerging technologies, development cooperation, culture, education, sustainable mobility, sustainable resource management, biodiversity, climate resilience and people-to-people ties. The leaders underscored that as the world’s two largest democracies, India and the EU have a common interest in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development in a multi – polar world. They emphasized the importance of deepening the India-EU Strategic Partnership which would not only benefit both sides but also have a far-reaching positive impact globally.

The 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business 

The leaders addressed the inaugural session of the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK 2024), which saw the participation from around 650 CEOs and Business Leaders. During the conference, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that the year 2024 celebrates 25 years of Strategic Partnership between the countries and India’s strong pillars of democracy, demography, demand and data, makes it an attractive investment destination for German businesses.

Both leaders emphasised the importance of the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK), which took place in New Delhi in parallel to the 7th IGC, in strengthening economic ties and strategic partnerships between India, Germany and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.  After the conference, the leaders also interacted at India-Germany CEO Forum.

India-Germany CEO Forum

Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Scholz attended the CEOs Forum at Hyderabad House wherein they reiterated that India’s growth story and Germany’s technology and business complement each other.

Conclusion

The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Inter – Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in Scientific Research and Technological Development which institutionalized the framework of Indo-German cooperation in Science & Technology, research and innovation. In this context, the 7th IGC presented an opportunity to renew the close relationship between India and Germany and prioritize the advancement of technology and innovation as the key pillar of cooperation. Furthermore, the visit also involved the signing of various MoUs and agreements across varied domains.

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