Germany stands to support India on path to development: Chancellor Merkel

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said that her country is ready to support India on the latter's path towards economic prosperity, adding that the two nations stand 'shoulder to shoulder'.

"The road ahead for India is important for more and more people to be in prosperity, more infrastructure is to be built and cities need to be developed. We stand ready, be it on locational training, be it on infrastructural support, and we agreed that the Indo-German Economic Cooperation will be further developed in a few months," Chancellor Merkel said, during the joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In October, there will be inter-government consultations between India and Germany and we will then be able to take stock of where we stand. We will see to it that the talks on the free trade agreement are continued and the position of India with respect to the European Commission will be supported by us," he added.

Chancellor Merkel further said that her country has been very impressed with the 'Make in India' initiative.

"We saw a very impressive show of India's economic performance and we were able to see that the new Indian government has put a lot of effort into the motto 'Make in India'," she said.

"We see ourselves facing the same sort of challenges in the world today. For example, we addressed the global challenge against terrorism, among many others and also discussed standing shoulder to shoulder and develop effective policies. We have come a long way and it will be desirable if we can overcome the final hurdles," she added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a Guard of Honour during the ceremonial welcome given by Chancellor Merkel in the courtyard of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.

The Prime Minister further stated that it is 'extremely crucial' for India to become a manufacturing hub and added that it would be a big blow to the country if it loses this opportunity.

"I believe that in the coming days, India is going to become a manufacturing hub. It is extremely crucial for us to use this opportunity to turn India into one and if we lose this opportunity, it will be a big loss," said Prime Minister Modi had said.

Prime Minister Modi, in Germany on the second leg of his three-nation tour, has vowed to remove unnecessary regulations and procedures to simplify the process of foreign investment in India, as well as to make it easier for other countries to initiate business deals.

Later in the day, he will leave for Ottawa for the final leg of his tour.