German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul Arrives on Two-Day Official Visit to India

German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul arrived in Bengaluru this morning on a two-day official visit to India. He will be visiting the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) before leaving for Delhi later today. Mr Wadephul will meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi Tomorrow.
 
 
Ahead of his visit, the German Foreign Minister underscored the vital role India plays as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region and on the global stage. In a series of posts on social media, Mr Wadephul emphasised the close political, economic, and cultural ties between Germany and India, describing the expanding strategic partnership as having significant potential. He also highlighted areas such as security cooperation, innovation, technology, and skilled workforce recruitment as key pillars of the bilateral relationship.
 
 
German Foreign Minister said, India’s voice, that of the world’s most populous country and largest democracy, is also heard beyond the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. He also emphasised the natural alliance between democracies like Germany and India, particularly in the face of growing geopolitical challenges. Mr Wadephul said, India plays a decisive role in shaping the international order of our century and in view of massive geopolitical challenges, the two countries want to preserve the rule-based international order together. 
 
 
German Foreign Minister’s visit follows Dr Jaishankar’s meeting with German Member of Parliament Jurgen Hardt in New Delhi last month, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and global development. According to MEA, Germany is one of India’s most valued partners in Europe.
 
 
The two countries share a strong strategic partnership, which has grown steadily over the decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951. In March 2021, both sides marked 70 years of diplomatic ties. Since May 2000, India and Germany have maintained a ‘Strategic Partnership’, which has been further strengthened by the launch of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) at the level of Heads of Government in 2011. The IGC framework enables a comprehensive review of cooperation and identifies new areas of engagement at the Cabinet level. India is among a select group of countries with which Germany has such a dialogue mechanism.