Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel released a joint statement at the concluding day of Modi’s 3 day long visit to Germany.
Angela Merkel and Narendra Modi at Federal Chancellery, in Berlin,
We, the Prime Minister of India and the Federal Chancellor of Germany, met in Hannover and Berlin to exchange views on upgrading and further strengthening our Strategic Partnership. We view each other’s development as mutually reinforcing and offering significant opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two countries. Our common objective is to encourage greater synergies between German engineering, experience in sustainable development, innovation and skills, and the new opportunities available in India and through ‘Make in India’, ‘Clean India’, ‘Digital India’ and other initiatives towards achieving economic growth and sustainable development. India’s participation as Partner Country at Hannover Messe 2015 is a welcome expression of our common desire to strengthen this cooperation.
We are exploring ways of expanding our dialogue on foreign policy and security issues. We welcome the proposed visits of the Defence Minister of Germany to India and the External Affairs Minister of India to Germany before the Inter-Governmental Consultations. Taking our partnership into the future, we will also work together on meeting global challenges such as climate change, energy and food security.
We look forward to our 3rd Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) in India in October 2015. Our Strategic Partnership is entering a new and more intensive phase. In order to strengthen this cooperation, we agreed to encourage our respective Ministries/Departments to take proactive steps to advance our collaboration in the following areas.
1. Manufacturing: Utilize the momentum generated by India’s participation in the Hannover Messe to foster stronger ties between business and industry on both sides in order to support India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Greater investments, a positive investment climate and technology partnerships are crucial for the success of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative
. 2. Skill Development: Expand existing Indo-German cooperation through new initiatives, including a road-map for enhancing employability of trainees and apprentices by strengthening industry involvement in Skills Development, as in the German dual system.
3. Urban Development: Strengthen the bilateral cooperation through the establishment of a working group on urban development. Support development of urban planning and infrastructure in India, including (a)cooperation in the development of new areas of collaboration and mutual benefit in the development of smart cities in India; (b) Setting up peer-to-peer network of Municipalities for direct collaboration; and (c) Assistance in the area of affordable housing.
4. Environment: Strengthen the bilateral cooperation through the establishment of two working groups in the areas of water and waste management.
5. Railways: Support for the modernization of the railway infrastructure including setting up of semi high-speed and high-speed railways and training and skill development of personnel in the rail sector starting with signalling and telecommunications and a high-speed rail system.
6. Cleaning of Rivers: Following the completion of the Ganga Scoping Mission in October 2014 by Germany, develop cooperation on Ganga River rejuvenation strategies, capacity support for urban sanitation, setting up of standards, approaches to industrial pollution and innovative financial models.
7. Renewable Energy: Support India’s proposed objective of 175GW of renewable energy by 2022 through technical and financial support for developing comprehensive solar rooftop and green energy corridor projects in India.
8. Education: Promote closer educational exchanges, including through setting up of an International Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, strengthening collaboration between universities in India and Germany through the Indo German Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education program, and enhancing the exchange of scientists between both countries, e.g. in the framework of India’s GIAN initiative.
9. Language: Support the respective programs and efforts in India and Germany to broaden knowledge of each other’s languages among the youth in accordance with the national policy of each country.
10. Science and Technology (S&T): Both sides declared their intent to promote closer R&D Cooperation in science, technology and innovation, in particular through extending the tenure of the bi-national Indo-German Science & Technology Center in India with appropriate resources, the cooperation arrangement between Ministry of Earth Sciences, India and Helmholtz Association, Germany for Institutional collaboration in the area of Earth Sciences, and understanding between National Council of Science Museums in India and Leibniz Association, Germany on closer cooperation in science communication.
We agree that we strengthen our efforts towards carrying on negotiations for an ambitious EU India Free Trade Agreement with a view to its early conclusion.
Our discussions in Germany have established a robust road-map for expanding our multi-faceted and mutually beneficial ties. We are confident that this will receive a further boost during the visit of the German Chancellor to India for the 3rd Inter-Governmental Consultations.