PM Modi, Merz pitch 'limitless' India-Germany partnership in defence, tech
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India and Germany have agreed to take their economic partnership to a new level, with deeper cooperation in defence, space and critical technologies. Speaking at the India-Germany CEOs Forum alongwith German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, PM Modi said Germany sees India as a trusted and central partner in its global diversification plans.
“Chancellor Merz chose India as his destination for his first trip to Asia. This reflects India's central role in Germany's diversification strategy and is a clear indication of Germany's trust in India,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi met Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday. The visit marks Merz’s first official trip to India since taking office last May. The German leader is on a two-day visit, accompanied by a 25-member delegation that includes top CEOs.
‘Limitless’ economic partnership
Addressing a joint press conference, PM Modi said both countries have decided to make their economic partnership “limitless”, moving beyond traditional areas of engagement.
“In line with this trust, we have taken several important decisions today. First, we have decided to make this seamless economic partnership limitless,” PM Modi said.
He added that India and Germany will expand cooperation in strategic areas, including defence and space. “In the defence sector, we are exchanging a Joint Declaration of Intent today. This will provide clear policy support to our companies for co-innovation and co-production in defence. New opportunities for cooperation will also open up in the space sector,” he said.
Focus on emerging technologies
PM Modi said trusted partnerships between the two countries would now evolve into technology partnerships. “Secondly, we have also agreed that trusted partnerships should now be transformed into technology partnerships. The world's two largest democratic economies will deepen their cooperation in critical and emerging technologies,” he said.
The Prime Minister noted that both sides are partners in semiconductors and see strong potential in power electronics, biotech, fintech, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing and cybersecurity.
Modi on India's reforms
At the CEOs Forum, PM Modi highlighted India’s economic performance despite global challenges. “In today's challenging global environment, India is moving forward with over 8 per cent growth,” he said, adding that reforms in sectors such as defence, space, mining and nuclear energy have improved the ease of doing business.
Germany backs ambitious India-EU FTA
Merz said India and Germany were well placed to deepen economic cooperation in a changing global environment. “Germany and India are innovation-driven economies with complementary strengths in research, engineering, manufacturing and entrepreneurship,” he said.
He stressed the need to build resilience by working with trusted partners and reducing one-sided dependencies. “Germany supports an ambitious and economically meaningful EU-India Free Trade Agreement as a central pillar of future-oriented economic engagement. We cannot let this chance go by,” Merz said.
The German leader added that geopolitical shifts present both challenges and opportunities, underlining Germany’s support for openness, fair competition and diversified partnerships. “Under my government, Germany is open for business and open for business cooperation,” Merz said, adding that “the full economic potential of our partnership is yet to be exploited”.
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