India ready to contribute to any peace process – Modi
In a joint press statement after the meeting with Scholz, Prime Minister Modi said, ‘The effects of the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine conflict have been felt across the globe. This has had a particularly negative impact on developing countries. We expressed our common concern about this. He said that we agree that the solution of these problems is possible only through joint efforts and India is making efforts in this direction even during the presidency of G20. The Prime Minister said, ‘Since the beginning of the developments in Ukraine, India has insisted on resolving this dispute through dialogue and diplomacy. India is ready to contribute to any peace process.
‘You cannot change the borders of two countries through violence’
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that we want to make sure that the countries of Asia, Africa, America do not have a negative impact of aggressive war. “The war in Ukraine has caused enormous damage, destroying infrastructure and energy grids,” he said. It’s a disaster. The world is being affected by the consequences of the Russian invasion. Scholz said that war violates a fundamental principle that we all agree on, that you cannot change the borders of countries through violence. The Chancellor of Germany arrived in India on Saturday on a two-day visit. This is Scholz’s first visit to India after becoming Chancellor of Germany in December 2021 after Angela Merkel’s historic 16-year tenure at the top post.
‘Both countries united in fight against terrorism’
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi said that the business delegation that came today with Chancellor Scholz and Indian businessmen had a successful meeting, and there were some good agreements, very important agreements. He said that useful ideas and suggestions were also received from leading industrialists of both the countries on topics like digital transformation, fintech, information technology, telecom and supply chain diversification. Modi said that there is active cooperation between India and Germany in the fight against terrorism and separatism. He said, ‘Both countries also agree that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism.’
Make in India and self-reliant India were also discussed in the conversation.
Prime Minister Modi said, ‘We also reiterated the agreement that reform of multilateral institutions is necessary to better reflect global realities.’ This is evident from our active participation under the G-4 in reforming the UN Security Council, he said. It is known that the G4 group refers to India, Japan, Germany and Brazil, who have been insisting on the need for expansion in the United Nations Security Council. The Prime Minister said that today, because of the Make in India and “Self-reliant India” campaign, new opportunities are opening up in India in all sectors and we are encouraged by Germany’s interest in these opportunities. He said, ‘India and Germany are increasing mutual cooperation for the development of third countries under the triangular development cooperation. Our people-to-people ties have also strengthened in the last few years.
Modi said that during my visit to Germany last year, we had announced the Green and Sustainable Development Alliance and through this, cooperation in the areas of climate action and sustainable development goals is increasing. The Prime Minister said that security and defense cooperation can become an important pillar of our strategic partnership and ‘we will continue to work together to fully realize the untapped potential in this area’. He said that the growing cooperation between the world’s two largest democratic economies is beneficial for the people of both the countries and also sends a positive message in today’s stress-ridden world. He said that strong ties between India and Germany are based on shared democratic values, and a deep understanding of each other’s interests and that the two countries also have a long history of cultural and economic exchanges.
Scholz will go to Bangalore on Sunday
Earlier, German Chancellor Scholz inspected the Guard of Honor at Rashtrapati Bhavan on his arrival in India. Here Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him. Chancellor Scholz will leave for Bengaluru on Sunday morning. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in his tweet that Chancellor Scholz’s visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen the multi-faceted Indo-German strategic partnership. Bagchi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for bilateral talks at Hyderabad House. In this, emphasis was laid on strengthening bilateral relations, deepening green and sustainable development alliances and economic ties and building closer ties in the defense sector.