By IANS
New Delhi : India will roll out the red carpet for German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday as she begins her first state visit to the country, which will bring Asia’s growing economy and Europe’s industrial powerhouse closer and enhance cooperation on global issues like climate change and energy security.
India and Germany will cement their burgeoning political and strategic ties by signing a clutch of agreements in areas of science and technology, trade and economy and a pact on exchange of classified information in the defence sector.
More business with India is Merkel’s mantra during her four-day trip that also takes her to the country’s financial hub Mumbai.
About 30 top business honchos representing the crème da la crème of German finance and industry like European plane maker Airbus, conglomerate Siemens, rail operator Deutsche Bahn and reinsurer Munich Re will accompany Merkel.
Promoting cooperation in science and technology, which usually do not figure prominently in state visits, will be another keynote of the German chancellor’s visit with the launch of a special train called Science Express, showcasing German prowess in cutting-edge technology, planned for Tuesday morning.
The train will be flagged off by Merkel at the Safdarjung Railway Station. German Education and Research Minister Annette Schavan will also be present at the launch of the train.
Merkel will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday evening on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including the UN reforms, climate change, energy security, cooperation in the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations and promoting security in Afghanistan. Several agreements will be signed in the presence of the two leaders.
With the stalling of the India-US civil nuclear deal due to the standoff between the government and its Left allies, the nuclear issue is not likely to figure prominently during bilateral talks.
Germany, the next chair of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, is broadly supportive of India’s quest for global civil nuclear integration, but would wait for it to complete its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before taking a formal stand on the issue.
Merkel is likely to thank India for its proactive assistance in the reconstruction of violence-torn Afghanistan where it has some 3,000 soldiers as part of the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force.
Merkel will speak at an Indo-German business forum organised by apex bodies of Indian commerce and industry here and seek more Indian investment in that country.
Merkel will head Wednesday to India’s financial capital Mumbai where her focus will be on intensifying trade and business ties between the two countries. She will address a conference on urbanisation in developing countries, organised by the Alfred Herrhausen Society and Deutsche Bank.
Bilateral trade between Germany and India has doubled to over $14 billion in the last three years. Germany is the seventh largest investor in India with a total inflow of $1.9 billion between 1991 and June 2007.
As this is Merkel’s first trip to India after she became chancellor over two years ago, she is keen to learn about the country that is increasingly seen by the world community as an influential player, along with China, which can reshape the world order.
Besides official engagements, she will also take time off both in New Delhi and Mumbai to meet members of the civil society, intellectuals, artists and media persons to understand the new India with a fast-growing economy that has attracted unprecedented world attention.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Germany in April last year that saw an upswing in political and business ties between the two countries. Gerhard Schroeder was the last German chancellor to come to India on an official visit in 2004.