Germany and India agreed to partner on technology to make a transition to renewable energy easier, and deepen defense cooperation and trade during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s first visit to the South Asian nation as leader.
(Bloomberg) —
Germany and India agreed to partner on technology to make a transition to renewable energy easier, and deepen defense cooperation and trade during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s first visit to the South Asian nation as leader.
“We want to further strengthen trade ties between the European Union and India,” Scholz said in New Delhi after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chancellor said he would personally make an effort to expedite a trade agreement.
The two sides also agreed to step cooperation on green hydrogen “to achieve a socially just, economically sustainable secure and affordable energy supply,” according to a joint statement after the meeting.
Scholz and Modi also discussed the war in Ukraine and its associated impact of food and fertilizer shortages. Europe and its allies are trying to isolate and punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine which entered its second year on Friday and want India pivot away from Moscow. India buys large amounts of discounted Russian oil and also depends on it for military hardware.
India will assist efforts to end the war, Modi told reporters in a joint press briefing with Scholz.
The two sides also agreed to deepen defense cooperation. There were discussions on joint defense equipment production, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a separate briefing.
“We will together to realize the untapped potential in the field of defense,” Modi said.
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