Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have reiterated their commitment to enhancing defense and security collaboration. They aim to deepen military ties through joint exercises, training, and exchanges of senior officials. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the regular reciprocal port calls by naval ships from India and Germany.
PM Modi and Chancellor Merz welcomed the initiation of a new Track 1.5 Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue between the two nations. They highlighted the significance of this dialogue in a joint statement released after their discussions in Ahmedabad. The leaders emphasized the need to elevate their relationship to a higher level with increased cooperation in defense, space, and other critical technologies.
During the talks, PM Modi mentioned that Chancellor Merz’s visit has injected fresh energy into the India-Germany ties as they commemorate 25 years of their Strategic Partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations. The leaders discussed joint efforts on climate action, resilient supply chains, skilling, education, sports, and enhancing cultural and people-to-people connections.
PM Modi appreciated Germany’s intention to participate in various naval exercises and symposiums, including MILAN and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave. They also acknowledged Germany’s decision to deploy a Liaison Officer to the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region. Both leaders expressed contentment with the ongoing cooperation between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the Eurodrone MALE UAV program.
The joint statement highlighted the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent to establish a Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap. This roadmap aims to promote long-term collaboration at the industry level, including technology partnerships and co-development of defense platforms. The leaders also praised the growing interaction between Indian and German defense businesses and welcomed the cooperation in submarines, obstacle avoidance systems, and Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS).
PM Modi and Merz acknowledged the progress towards finalizing agreements on Peacekeeping training, Reciprocal Logistics Support, and knowledge exchange in new Defense Technologies. They jointly condemned terrorism in all its forms and expressed their commitment to combatting terrorist entities. The leaders called for international efforts to combat terrorism comprehensively and sustainably, in line with international law.
Both leaders emphasized the importance of strong people-to-people ties in their Strategic Partnership. They welcomed the increasing exchanges of students, researchers, professionals, artists, and tourists between India and Germany. PM Modi and Chancellor Merz expressed readiness to enhance legal mobility and cooperation on migration-related issues to combat irregular migration, human trafficking, and document fraud effectively.
