German Prez appreciates India's active civil society

India should be proud of its active civil society and its openness, German President Joachim Gauck said here today.
Addressing a gathering at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here, Guack said India outlined the importance of democracy and it was for this reason that he chose the country as the first stop of his Asia trip.
"I deliberately chose India as the destination of my first long trip to Asia. A democracy should be the first target of a presidential visit," he said.
The German President, who met civil society members earlier in the day, said it was an enriching experience for him to meet them and discuss issues such as child labour, freedom of religion and protection of minorities.

"The openness that I have experienced today is not common in all my visits abroad. India should be proud of its spirit of openness and optimism. It allows you to address grievances and to make changes peacefully. Dissent and open public debates belong to democracy," he said.
The German President was speaking at a seminar 'India and Germany: Strategic Partners for the 21 st century' organised by the university.

Indians do not hide their problems, Guack said adding they too understand the responsibility for the welfare of Europe and their role in resolving the European crisis.
Quoting Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Freedom and power bring responsibility' remark, Gauck said "our two countries, Germany and India, have both freedom as well as power. We both may feel not as dominant global superpower but we need to seriously ask: what can we do to meet our international responsibilities?"

Guack said Germany was committed to the framework of the United Nations for world security and Indian involvement in its peacekeeping missions was also significant.
Speaking on India-Germany relations, the German President said the two countries could together play an important role on the subjects of security, development and climate protection at a global platform.