Germany, India in talks for sustainable development tie-up: Official

Germany is in talks with India for a broader green and sustainable development partnership, a senior German ministry official said, underlining that such an agreement is in the stages of finalisation.

State Secretary of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Jochen Flasbarth, who is on a two-day visit to India, held meetings with a number of officials from the Environment, Coal and the External Affairs Ministries.

Addressing a media briefing, Flasbarth said Germany is looking for a broader green and sustainable development partnership with India.

The agreement covers a broader range of subjects related to sustainable development goals, he added.

"Mobility is one area which is quite closely linked to the energy issue. Urban development has many facets on how to organise sustainable cities with regard to energy, mobility and also with regard to social security and that is all covered with this kind of partnership. 

We are open with our Indian colleagues to identify the most urgent areas under the SDG umbrella that we want to cooperate on during the next 10 years," he said.

He said the agreement can be finalised in the coming days after meetings between the cabinets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz next month.

Flasbarth said renewable energy cooperation is another area where Germany is seeking to enhance its partnership with India.

"We have a very broad area of cooperation with India in the field of climate mitigation and adaptation, and at the very centre, we have scaling up of renewable electricity and energy," he said.

Solar partnership was another issue on the agenda of Flasbarth.

"In the course of the next days, we have meetings where we will finalise it," he added.