Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visiting German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, Friday called for further deepening the bilateral ties in vital sectors between the two countries while addressing the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business 2024 here.
PM Modi highlighted India’s growth, saying, “This is the time and correct time to get involved in India’s growth story,” during his address.
He stressed on the potential for a fruitful partnership between the two nations and affirmed, “When India’s dynamism and Germany’s precision meet, when Germany’s engineering and India’s innovation meet and when Germany’s technology and India’s talent meet, it ensures a better future for the world, including the Indo-Pacific.”
“You all are in the business world and you have the mantra of ‘When we meet, we mean business,” he added.
PM Modi, who earlier met with the visiting Chancellor at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, official residence here, outlined the country’s growth pillars and also emphasised the vital role of AI and ‘Aspirational India’ at the conference.
Elaborating, he said India stands on the four strong pillars of democracy, demography, demand and data. In fact, talent, technology, innovation and infrastructure are the tools of India’s growth, he added.
Continuing, he said to drive them all, one strong force is there in India — AI –Aspirational India and Artificial Intelligence — this double power is there in India…India is working on the needs of the future world.
Hailing the strengthening ties between the two nations, citing recent collaborations as evidence of their deepening friendship, he said, “On one hand, the CEO Forum meeting is being held here, on the other hand, our navies are practising together. German naval ships are on a port call in Goa. And in a short while from now, the seventh inter-governmental consultations between India and Germany are also to be organised.”
“That is, the friendship between India and Germany is deepening at every step, on every front,” he added.
He said that this year marks the completion of 25 years of India-Germany strategic partnership and added that the next 25 years are going to take this partnership to new heights. “This year is the 25th year of India-Germany Strategic Partnership. The next 25 years are going to take this partnership to new heights. We have prepared a roadmap for a developed India in the coming 25 years,” PM Modi said.
Hailing the release of the “Focus on India” document by the German Cabinet, which outlines how two strong democracies and leading economies can cooperate for global good, he also expressed confidence that Germany’s decision to increase visas for skilled Indians will boost its growth.
“Germany has decided to increase the number of visas given to skilled Indians every year from 20 thousand to 90 thousand. I am confident that this will give a new impetus to Germany’s growth,” he said.
“Our mutual trade has reached a level of more than 30 billion dollars. Today, on one hand, hundreds of German companies are in India, while Indian companies are also rapidly increasing their presence in Germany. Today, India is becoming the biggest centre of diversification and de-risking. India is also becoming a hub of global trade and manufacturing. In such a situation, this is the most appropriate time for you to Make in India, Make for the World,” he added.
Scholz, who is on a two-day visit here, urged for a collective action by countries to do whatever they can to bring about political solutions to resolving global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and West Asia crisis, based on international law and principles of the UN Charter.
He said that the world of the 21st century “is something where progress is the question we have to work for. In a multipolar world there are no global policemen, no single watchdog monitoring our common rules and institutions, each and every one of us is called upon to defend and uphold them.”
Emphasising on the importance of strengthened bilateral relations between the two nations, particularly in areas such as defence, trade, and clean energy, the German Chancellor said, “We need more cooperation, not less.”
“Our intergovernmental consultation with India, we also want to deepen our cooperation on defense and agree to bring our militaries closer together, our overall message is clear, we need more cooperation, not less,” he said.
Chancellor Scholz said in his address to the conference ”we are meeting in the world’s biggest democracy. The fastest-growing major economy in the world with the most rapidly expanding renewable energy sector of any major economy.”
Scholz and PM Modi earlier inaugurated the conference today in the national capital.
The German Chancellor is here for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC), a biannual meeting involving ministers from both countries. Scholz will also hold key bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi. Later, he wrote in his post on social media platform X, “In this world we need friends and allies – just like India and Germany,” adding, “Dear @narendramodi, thank you for your warm welcome in New Delhi”.