PM, Merkel hold video-teleconference; Modi briefs on vaccine development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video-teleconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday and briefed her on COVID-19 vaccine development in India, while also assuring her of the country's commitment to deploy its capacities for the benefit of the world.

A Prime Minister's Office statement said Modi appreciated the long-standing role of Chancellor Merkel in providing stable and strong leadership at the European and global stage, and thanked her for guiding the growth of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership.

The two leaders discussed key issues of mutual importance including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral ties, regional and global issues, particularly India-EU relations.

The prime minister briefed Chancellor Merkel on the developments in India with regard to vaccine development and assured the chancellor of India's commitment to deploy its capacities for the benefit of the world, the statement said.

"He conveyed his best wishes for early containment of the new wave of infections in Germany and other European countries," it said.

Prime Minister Modi also welcomed Germany's decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation with Germany under the platform of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of setting up of bilateral relations between India and Germany and 20th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, the two leaders agreed to hold the sixth Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) at an early date in 2021 and to set an ambitious agenda for the same, the statement said.