'India, Germany already in Trade Premier League,' says German FM Wadephul

German FM Johann Wadephul praised India's tech rise, reaffirmed support for EU-India FTA talks, backed Ukraine peace efforts, and said ties would expand in trade and security

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held delegation-level talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during his first official visit to India since Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government came to power.

 

Wadephul praised India’s growing role in technology, noting that hosting the next AI Summit reflected New Delhi’s ambition to be among global leaders.

 

“…India is going to host the next AI Summit is a demonstration of India’s ambition and claim to be in the vanguard among the frontrunners in the area of new technology too. With regard to bilateral trade, India and Germany are already playing in the Premier League. Germany, with little under 31 billion euros of trade, has India as its most important trading partner. We aim to double that and I’m pleased to see that India takes a similarly positive and optimistic view of the chances for that…” Wadephul said. 

 

  He also described India as a rising economic powerhouse and praised Bengaluru’s growth as an innovation hub.

 

Shared concerns in the Indo-Pacific

Wadephul stressed that both India and Germany aim to preserve the rules-based international order. “India and Germany are united by the objective to preserve the rules-based international order, and that includes the freedom of maritime trade routes in the Indo-Pacific. China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific is a cause for concern for both our countries. More generally, we aim to further expand our cooperation in the areas of defence, security and armament…” he said.     

 

  The German minister also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for peace in Ukraine during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Wadephul said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he met with President Putin a couple of days ago, also pointed to the need for a speedy peace agreement in Ukraine, which has been important to us. We Europeans are doing our best, working with our American and Ukrainian friends to ensure that this war ends soon…”

 

Push for free trade agreement

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar sought Germany’s support to fast-track Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with the European Union.

 

“We count on your support to deepen our relationship with the European Union and expedite the FTA negotiations. India and Germany have a strong history of multilateral cooperation, which, I am confident, will be further advanced through our talks today,” he said.

 

Jaishankar highlighted the depth of ties between the two countries: “We are marking 25 years of strategic partnership, 50 years of scientific cooperation, almost 60 years of cultural agreements and, as you saw in Bangalore, more than a century of business interactions…”   

 

Defence and security cooperation

The EAM noted Germany’s support for India’s fight against terrorism. “We greatly value the understanding that Germany has shown with regard to India’s fight against terrorism. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has himself been explicit about our right to defend our people against terrorist attacks. A parliamentary delegation that visited Germany in June after Operation Sindoor was also warmly received.”

 

He added, “There’s been an uptick in our defence and security cooperation. Germany participated in the Tarang Shakti air exercises last year, and its ships made port calls to Goa. Today, we agreed that such participation should be continued, indeed even expanded…”

 

Trade discussions

As part of his two-day visit, Wadephul also met Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The German Ambassador to India, Phillip Ackermann, described the discussions as “productive,” focusing on strengthening trade, investment, and innovation.

 

(With agency inputs)