German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives In India On His First Official Visit To India.

Ahmedabad; January 2026: Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. He is on an official visit to India from January 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi will meet Friedrich Merz today in Ahmedabad. This will be Merz’s first official visit to India. At around 9:30 hours on January 12, the two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and at around 10 am, they will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements from 11:15 am onwards at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

The two leaders will review progress on the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently marked its 25th anniversary. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while advancing collaboration in key areas of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance and engage with business and industry leaders of the two countries. The visit is expected to build on momentum from regular high-level political interactions and provide an opportunity to reaffirm India and Germany’s shared vision to develop a forward-looking partnership for the benefit of both countries and the wider global community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz last held discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where the two leaders agreed to further broaden the bilateral strategic partnership.

During that interaction, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to the German Chancellor for an official visit to New Delhi. The visit is also taking place in the lead-up to the India-EU Summit poned for January 27th.

The visit is significant as German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on Saturday spoke about the bilateral ties between India and Germany in defence and security areas, asserting that the strategic partnership between the nations has grown over the years.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs post on X, Chancellor Merz was warmly received by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat at the airport upon his arrival in the western state.

“Welcome to India! Willkommen in Indien! Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in Ahmedabad on an official visit. Warmly received by Hon’ble Governor of Gujarat, Shri Acharya Devvrat at the airport. India and Germany are celebrating 75 years of India-Germany diplomatic ties and 25 years of the India Germany Strategic Partnership, the MEA post read.

Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance and engage views on issues of regional and global importance and engage with business and industry leaders of the two countries. The visit is expected to build on momentum from regular high-level political interactions and provide an opportunity to reaffirm India and Germany’s shared vision to develop a forward-looking partnership for the benefit of both countries and the wider global community.

On January 13th, the German Chancellor will visit Bosch, then Nano Science and Engineering, CeNSE, before departing for Germany.

Team Maverick.