English rendering of the Text of PM’s remarks to the media during the Joint Press Statement with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Berlin

Chancellor Merkel, Members of the Media

I want to sincerely thank Chancellor Merkel and Germany for the very warm welcome that my delegation and I have received.

I am especially grateful that in the first year of my Government, India was chosen as a partner country for the largest industrial trade fair in the world.

Chancellor Merkel was generous with her time for me, my delegation and the CEOs of several Indian companies in Hannover. Today, my delegation and I have once again been heartily welcomed in Berlin.

I also thank her for the very open, constructive and perceptive discussions on relations between India and Germany. This is a reflection of her deep concern for Germany’s interests and her commitment to India – Germany relations.

Yesterday in Hannover, she accepted the invitation of India’s Lion to raise the level of Germany’s engagement in India and assured me of a strong response by Germany’s Eagle. I believe that there will be a strong partnership between the King of the Earth, Lion and the King of the Skies, the Eagle.

When I last came to Berlin, Germany was successful in winning the World Cup Final. This time in Berlin, I feel that we will also be successful in taking the strategic partnership between India and Germany to new heights.

Whenever anyone in India talks about technology, manufacturing or high quality, Germany is the first country that comes to the mind. So, it is natural that when India has embarked on a new journey for ‘Make in India’ for economic development and employment, we look forward to Germany’s strong partnership.

Whatever objectives we think of in terms of economic transformation and improvement in quality of life of ordinary citizens, technology, skills, innovation and investment will play an important role in it.

My objective of coming to Germany was not only to invite the German industry to India, but to assure them that they would find an open and stable environment, which would be easy to do business in; and that they will have my full support to invest and work in India.

I feel deeply encouraged by the enthusiasm and interest that I have seen in Chancellor Merkel and Germany. Equally, the feedback that I have got will be of great benefit to me in framing our policies.

I have also decided that we will establish a mechanism for German companies to facilitate their investment and business in India.

Our goal of ‘Make in India’ and creating employment for our youth depends on skill development in our country. Germany is a world leader in this field. India will have to pursue its skill development programme in accordance with its own circumstances. But at the same time, there is a lot that we can learn from Germany. We had a detailed discussion on the subject. Similarly, we intend to further strengthen our close cooperation in the areas of science, technology and education.

An area that has great priority for me personally and for my country is renewable energy and energy efficiency. As I have already said, we intend to add 175 Giga Watts of renewable energy during the next seven years. Germany is a strong partner in the development of clean energy. We would also like your cooperation on manufacturing of equipment for clean and renewable energy in India; and enhance our shared efforts to address the challenge of climate change.

Development of India as a manufacturing hub and expansion of infrastructure of India would also be beneficial for trade. Our imports would also grow. And, it is natural that German companies would benefit a lot from it. In this context, I would also like to state that negotiations between India and European Union on a Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement have remained stalled for two years. I have requested Chancellor Merkel that India and European Union should resume the negotiations quickly and conclude a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement at the earliest.

We would also like to enhance our cooperation in the area of advanced technology and defence manufacturing. I hope that the German companies would participate enthusiastically in this and that your government would support them fully.

Chancellor Merkel and I had also discussed international developments. We in India believe that economic momentum in Europe is important for the global economy and European stability for global peace. The world looks to Germany for leadership in addressing both challenges. I also congratulate her on the successful outcome of talks with Iran. This will be beneficial for the entire region. Instability and violence in West Asia affects the security of our citizens at home. Peaceful and democratic development of Afghanistan is important for both of us. The direction that Asia-Pacific region will take in this century will be of great significance to the entire world.

The spread of terrorism is growing and its character is changing. The threat is coming close to us across every region of the world. We need a comprehensive global strategy to deal with this global challenge, in which India and Germany can work together. Equally, in the coming days, maritime cyber and space security would be a matter of concern to everyone and we should increase our cooperation in this area as well.

It is my belief that India and Germany are two countries that have earned the right to be permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Our membership will also be beneficial to the world. We both would like to see tangible progress in the United Nations Security Council reforms during the 70th Anniversary year of the United Nations.

We also look forward to a successful outcome of COP-21 in Paris this year.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone, especially Chancellor Merkel for a very successful and productive visit and I look forward eagerly to hosting Chancellor Merkel in India in October.

Thank you.