PM asks Germany to ease export control laws

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants Germany to relax its stringent export control laws to help open 'new horizons' for high technology trade with India, even as the two countries vowed to increase the bilateral trade volume by nearly 40 per cent to 20 billion Euros by 2012.

“There is a vast untapped potential for high technology trade between India and Germany and I conveyed to Chancellor Merkel that relaxation of German export control laws would open new horizons for such trade. This will be to our mutual benefit,” Singh told reporters after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last night.

On Germany's part, Merkel said there was no “trust deficit” between the two countries over high technology transfer.

Merkel's response came when a reporter asked why Germany put restrictions on the transfer of high technology to India and whether there was a trust deficit in easing them. “Our partnership with India is of a strategic nature. Our goals are ambitious and there is no trust deficit. On the contrary, we are cooperating very well in this area," said Merkel, adding: "We are taking our strategic cooperation seriously."

The Chancellor said both sides were working on modalities to ease such restrictions.

“On the transfer of high technology for peaceful purposes, the PM mentioned the potential for high technology trade between India and Germany. We are cooperating closely on this, and will work towards a smoother cooperation," she added.

Merkel also said there was a good military-to-military cooperation, which should be seen as a positive development in bilateral ties.

At their joint news conference, both Singh and Merkel said the two countries had decided to step up efforts to increase bilateral trade to ¤20 billion by 2012 from around ¤15 billion at present.