Business First as Angela Merkel Meets PM Narendra Modi Today

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi 5 Oct , 2015 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a two-day visit to strengthen ties between the two countries. The German delegation which includes cabinet minister, top officials and CEOs, was received by Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha.

 

The German Chancellor will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 9 am today. At 9:30, she is expected to visit to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Prime Minister Modi and Angela Merkel will hold bilateral talks today and are expected to discuss a wide range of topics including security and defence, with a special focus on boosting trade ties between India and Germany.

PM Modi and Ms Merkel will also have a one-on-one meeting before delegation-level talks.

The German Chancellor is expected to convey the concerns of German industries in proceeding with planned investments in India. Both leaders are also likely to exchange views on regional and global issues including climate change.

Ms Merkel and PM Modi are scheduled to visit Bengaluru on October 6, where they will participate in a business event hosted by India’s software industry lobby NASSCOM. Ms Merkel will also be accompanied by President Pranab Mukherjee during her visit to the innovation and skilling centres of the German company Bosch in the city.

The talks between the two nations will be aimed at deepening bilateral engagement in education, renewable energy, high technology, skill development, science and technology, railways, water and waste management, urban development and agriculture.

Ahead of Ms Merkel’s visit, German Ambassador Martin Ney said the third Inter-Governmental Consultations or IGCs are expected to come out with "path-breaking results" and inking of "substantial" number of agreements between the two countries.

PM Modi had visited Germany in April this year where he inaugurated the Hannover Messe, an industrial fair, jointly with the German Chancellor where India was the partner country.

Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union and the seventh largest foreign investor in India. The overall exchange of goods and services between the two countries was valued at around 15.96 billion euros last year.

 

Courtesy:NDTV