Germany, India sign agreements to deepen bilateral ties

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel signed wide-ranging agreements in New Delhi on Friday to deepen strategic cooperation and exchanged notes on ways to boost bilateral trade.

Merkel, accompanied by several cabinet colleagues and a business delegation, is in India on a three-day visit that began on Thursday.

“We’re encouraging our private sectors to give an impetus to our growing bilateral trade and Chancellor Merkel and I will meet some of the top business and industry leaders,” Modi told a joint news conference with the German leader.

“We’re encouraging our private sectors to give an impetus to our growing bilateral trade and Chancellor Merkel and I will meet some of the top business and industry leaders,” Modi said.

Bilateral trade between the two countries rose to $24.06 billion in the 2018/19 fiscal year ending in March from $22 billion the previous year, while German companies have invested nearly $12 billion in India since 2000.

Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and more than 1,700 German companies are operating in India.