German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit India on November 1 at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi for fifth biennial Inter Governmental Consultations, the government announced on Friday.
She will be accompanied by several ministers and state secretaries of the federal government, as well as a high-powered business delegation. “Under the IGC format, the counterpart ministers from both countries will hold initial discussions in their respective areas of responsibility. The outcome of these discussions will be reported on at the IGC Co-Chaired by the Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor of Germany,’’ an MEA statement said.
While Germany looks at Article 370 related developments in J&K as an “internal affair” of India, it has also called for early lifting of restrictions in the Valley. India is unlikely to bring up J&K on its own though during the talks.
The two leaders will also have a separate engagement with CEOs and business leaders of both nations. The government said India and Germany had established a strategic partnership that was characterised by a high degree of trust and mutual understanding. It recalled that Modi and Merkel have regularly interacted on the sidelines of multilateral meetings. “ During IGC, the two sides will discuss the deepening of cooperation in traditional sectors like transport, skill development and energy, and explore possibilities for cooperation in newer areas like green urban mobility, AI, etc. ,’’ the ministry added.
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