Prime Minister at the 7th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations

Excellency,

A warm welcome to you and your delegation on the occasion for the 7th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.

Excellency,

This is your third trip to India. Fortunately, this is also the first IGC meeting of my third term. In a way, this is a triple celebration of our friendship.

Excellency,

In 2022, during the last Inter-Governmental Consultation held in Berlin, we made important decisions for bilateral cooperation.

In the last two years, there has been encouraging progress in various areas of our strategic partnership. Increasing cooperation in areas such as defence, technology, energy, and green and sustainable development has become a symbol of mutual trust.

Excellency,

The world is going through a period of tension, conflict, and uncertainty. There are also serious concerns about the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. In such times, the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor.

This is not a transactional relationship; this is a transformational partnership between two capable and strong democracies—a partnership that is contributing to building a stable, secure, and sustainable future for the global community and humanity.

In this regard, the “Focus on India” strategy you released last week is most welcome.

Excellency,

I am pleased that we are taking many new and important initiatives to expand and elevate our partnership. We are moving from a whole-of-government approach to a whole-of-nation approach.

Industries from both countries are connecting innovators and young talent. Democratizing technology is our shared commitment. Today, the Roadmap on Innovation and Technology is being released, which will further strengthen our cooperation in important areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, and Clean Energy.

We have just participated in the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, and shortly, we will also participate in the CEOs Forum. This will strengthen our cooperation even further. Our efforts to diversify and de-risk our economies will gain momentum, helping to create secure, reliable, and trusted supply value chains.

In line with our commitment to climate action, we have created a platform for global investment in renewable energy. Today, the Green Hydrogen Roadmap has also been released.

We are pleased that education, skill development, and mobility are advancing between India and Germany. We welcome the Skilled Labour Mobility Strategy released by Germany. I believe today’s meeting will elevate our partnership to new heights.

I’d now like to hear your thoughts.

After that, my colleagues will brief us on the steps being taken to foster mutual cooperation in various areas.

Once again, a very warm welcome to you and your delegation in India.