India, Germany hold Inter-Governmental Consultations

India and Germany on Tuesday started the fourth round of the biannual Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) here headed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"PM @narendramodi & Chancellor Merkel undertake comprehensive review of coop'n at the Plenary meeting of the Inter-Governmental Consultations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

Germany is the only country with which India has such an institutionalised dialogue mechanism.

The first IGC was held in New Delhi in 2011, the second in Berlin in 2013, and the third in New Delhi in 2015.

Modi is accompanied by Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Seetharaman and Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the German Chancellery here.

Modi and Merkel will also jointly address the India-Germany Business Summit later in the day.

Soon after his arrival here on Monday on a two-day visit to Germany, Modi and Merkel held a private meeting in the latter's country resort of Schloss Meseberg, some 65 km from Berlin, in which a range of issues, including climate change and the fight against terror, figured.

Germany is the first leg of the Prime Minister's six-day, four-nation European tour which will also see him going to Spain, Russia and France.

--IANS

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