Angela Merkel's three-day India visit starts on October 4

Bilateral ties to attain new heights: Envoy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to embark on a two-day visit to India from October 4-6 for the India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations that will see bilateral ties reaching the next level. This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Germany in April for the Hannover Messe Fair.

Last month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Berlin where she met her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

This will be Merkel's third visit to India. "Only six months later, PM Modi and Chancellor Merkel, together with six Cabinet ministers, will again meet for the Intergovernmental Consultations here in the beginning of October," the newly appointed German Ambassador to India Martin Ney said here on Thursday. Ney, however, said it would be premature to assume what decisions will be taking place during the consultations.

Germany is the only country with which India conducts these biannual joint Cabinet meetings. This will be the third round of consultations. The last one took place in 2013 in Berlin. "I believe India is in a crucial phase. It overhauls its economy. It reinvigorates its international engagements in order to harness its full potential as a rising power in a multipolar world," Ney said.

During Merkel's visit, India and Germany are expected to discuss issues pertaining to vocational training, green energy, river cleaning, infra modernisation and smart cities. Germany is India's largest trading partner in the European Union (EU) and the second most important partner in technological collaborations.

ACHTUNG DIPLOMACY

| During Merkel's visit, India and Germany are expected to discuss issues pertaining to vocational training, green energy, river cleaning, infrastructure modernisation and smart cities
| Germany is India's largest trading partner in the EU and second most important partner in tech collaborations
| New Delhi and Berlin have a strategic partnership since 2001, with several dialogue mechanisms to discuss bilateral and global issues of interest
| There are around 1,700 German companies operating in India providing jobs to 400,000 Indians