On May 02-04, 2022, the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi visited three European Nations viz. Germany, Denmark and France which marked his first visit abroad in 2022.
Visit to Germany:
In the first leg of his visit, he visited Germany, and held bilateral talks with Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany in Berlin to enhance and intensify cooperation in a broad range of areas. They also exchanged views on regional and global matters of mutual interest.
- They also jointly address a Business Event, and interacted with the Indian community in Germany.
- It should be noted that India and Germany commemorated 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and have been strategic partners since 2000.
Notably, PM Narendra Modi received a Guard of honour at Federal Chancellery in the presence of German Challancer Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations 2022:
Both leaders co-chaired the 6th edition of the biennial India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) 2022 in Berlin, Germany. This was Indian PM’s first IGC with Chancellor Scholz, and also the first Government-to-Government consultations of the new German government, which assumed office in December 2021.
Note- 48th G7 summit is scheduled to be held from 26 to 28 June 2022 in Schloss Elmau, Bavarian Alps, Germany.
List of agreements signed on the occasion of 6th India-Germany IGC 2022
Both sides nine agreements are detailed as below:
i.The first of all Joint Declaration of Intent (JDIs) is the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership under which Germany has agreed to make an advance commitment of 10 billion euros to India of new and additional development assistance until 2030.
Signatories:
India- PM Narendra Modi
Germany- Chancellor Olaf Scholz
ii.Second is the JDI on implementation of Triangular Development Cooperation wherein India and Germany will cooperate together in third country projects.
Signatories:
India- Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Germany- Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
iii.The third is the declaration of intent, rather initialling of the text of the Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement.
Signatories:
India- Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary
Germany- Mahmut Oezdemir, Parliamentary St. Secretary, Ministry of Interior
iv.JDI on the establishment of an agreement on the exchange and mutual protection of classified information and on the establishment of an agreement to establish a direct encrypted connection between MEA and German Foreign Office
Signatories:
India- Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Germany- Annalena Baerbock, Foreign Minister
v.Agreement on Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding Renewable Energy Partnership. This partnership has been prioritised by PM Modi. In fact, as part of a mutual partnership in this area, a task force will be made to work towards establishing a green hydrogen hub in India with German support.
Signatories:
India- Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Germany- Svenja Schulze
vi.Both nations have signed JDI on the continuation of cooperation in the field of advanced training of corporate executives and junior executives from India.
- Under this defence cooperation, the Indian and the German stakeholders would come together, both in the field of defence manufacturing, co-designing, co-development and as part of discussions on global developments.
Signatories:
India- Anurag Jain, Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
Germany- State Secretary Udo Philip, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
The other three agreements were signed virtually:
i.Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force
Signatories:
India- Raj Kumar Singh Minister of Power
Germany- Robert Habeck, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
ii.JDI on Agroecology
Signatories:
India- Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW)
Germany- Svenja Schulze
iii.JDI on Forest Landscape Restoration
Signatories:
India- Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
Germany- Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
MoS Jitendra Singh held talks with German counterpart
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh also visited Germany as part of the PM’s official delegation. There he interacted with Indian Start-Ups, Students and young professionals in Berlin.
- He held consultations with his German counterpart, Ms Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection in Berlin as part of the India-Germany inter-governmental commission.
Visit to Denmark:
After the Germany visit, PM Narendra Modi visited Copenhagen, Denmark at the invitation of its PM Ms. Mette Frederiksen. There he participated in the 2nd India-Nordic Summit 2022 which was hosted by Denmark. He also addressed the Indian community and interacted with Denmark’s Royal Family i.e. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.
- Both sides reviewed the progress of Green Strategic Partnership, which is the first of its kind arrangement between India and Denmark.
- They also examines ways to further expand multifaceted cooperation.
2nd India-Nordic Summit 2022:
2nd India-Nordic Summit 2022 held at Copenhagen, Denmark.The Summit focused on subjects like post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovation and technology, renewable energy, the evolving global security scenario and India-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic region.
- On the sidelines of summit, PM Narendra Modi held separate bilateral meetings with his other Nordic leaders i.e PM Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland, PM Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, PM Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, and PM Sanna Marin of Finland.
- The 1st India-Nordic Summit took place in 2018 in Stockholm.
- Nordic co-operation, one of the most extensive forms of regional co-operation anywhere in the world, involves Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as well as the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands.
List of agreements signed during the summit:
Both sides nine agreements are detailed as below:
| Sr. no. | Agreement |
|---|---|
| 1. | Declaration of Intent (DoI) on Migration and Mobility |
| 2. | Letter of Intent (LoI) between Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, GOI and Ministry of Business, Industry and Financial Affairs of Denmark on Centre of Excellence in Green Shipping |
| 3. | Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) between the Ministry of Culture, GoI and Ministry of Culture of Denmark for the years 2022-2026 |
| 4. | Letter of Intent (LoI) of between Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Environment of Denmark |
| 5. | MoU on Cooperation in the field of Skill Development, Vocational Education and Entrepreneurship |
| 6. | Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying |
| 7. | Launch of Energy Policy Dialogue at Ministerial level |
| 8. | India to join as mission partner to ICARS (International Centre for Anti-Microbial Resistance Solution) |
| 9. | Letter of Intent between Invest India and Technical University of Denmark to facilitate start-up collaboration |
Indian PM participates in India-Denmark Business Forum 2022 in Copenhagen
PM Narendra Modi jointly participated with PM. Ms. Mette Frederiksen, and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, in the India- Denmark Business Forum 2022 at the Confederation of Danish Industry in Cop.
- Indian side invited Danish companies to take advantage of India’s enormous opportunities in areas like green technologies, cold chains, waste to wealth, shipping and ports, among others.
Visit to Paris, France:
PM Narendra Modi paid a brief visit in Paris to meet Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of France as both nations are celebrating 75 years of their diplomatic relations in 2022.
- He is the first world leader to have a face-to-face meeting with President Emmanuel Macron following the French President’s re-election in April, 2022.
- Both leaders discussed various regional and global issues and reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation.
France’s Naval Group withdraws from India’s P-75I submarine project ahead of PM Modi’s visit
French Defence major Naval Group has announced its inability to participate in the Rs 43,000-crore P-75 India (P-75I) project under which six conventional submarines are to be built in India for the Indian Navy.
- The decision was taken as it is unable to match the requirements of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system.
- This AIP technology allows a conventional submarine to stay submerged in water for extended periods of time at faster speeds.
About Project:
India’s Ministry of Defence approved the P-75I project in June, 2021. It is the largest project under a new strategic partnership model in which an international Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) joins with an Indian company to build submarines in India and exchange knowledge.
- Under this, the two Indian companies must form a partnership with one of the five shortlisted foreign companies, which include Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Spanish firm Navantia, Daewoo from South Korea, and Russia’s Rosoboronexport, along with the French group and then respond to the RFP.
Recent Related News:
i.On February 10-15, 2022, Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India visited Australia and Philippines to impart further momentum to bilateral relations. EAM participated in the 4th Japan- Australia-India-United States(US) (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting 2022 in Melbourne (Australia) along with Marise Ann Payne, Foreign Minister of Australia; Hayashi Yoshimasa, Foreign Minister of Japan; and Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States (US).
ii.On March 6, 2022, the PM Narendra Modi visited Pune, Maharashtra where he unveiled the grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The seated statue made of gun metal is 9.5 feet tall and weight 1.85 tons (1850 Kg).
About Germany:
Capital – Berlin
President – Frank-Walter Steinmeier
About Denmark:
Capital -Copenhagen
Prime Minister (PM) – Mette Frederiksen
About France:
Capital- Paris
Prime Minister (PM) -Jean Castex
