New Delhi [India], September 4 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that it is in India’s and Germany’s mutual interest to accelerate negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with both nations signalling a strong mutual interest in swiftly reaching a decisive conclusion to their ongoing talks.
While speaking at the joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that lower tariffs and finding further ways to expand our business and cooperation need “greater urgency”.
“Our conversations and our negotiations predate anything which has happened this year. It is in our mutual interest that we lower tariffs and find other ways of expanding our business and economic cooperation. Obviously, in today’s climate, those efforts acquire a greater urgency. I share the Minister’s desire and optimism that we would like the FTA negotiations, another round, to take place fairly soon. We would like this to move to a decisive conclusion in the coming days, and we believe that this would be in our mutual interest,” Jaishankar said.
German FM is in India on his two-day official visit to strengthen bilateral and economic relations between the two nations. Earlier, both ministers also held bilateral talks.
This comes at a time when India is already facing steep tariffs from the United States for purchasing crude oil from Russia.
Furthermore, Jaishankar emphasised that a stronger economic partnership between New Delhi and Berlin would not only enhance bilateral trade but also contribute to stabilising the global economy.
“It will be a big factor there. It will be one of the elements of a ballast which today the world economy really needs,” he added.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is on a two-day official visit to India and arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday, echoed the same view. He said that for Germany, “India equals Asia,” while for India, Germany and the European Union hold an equivalent place.
“India equals Asia for us, and Germany and the European Union, in a way, are equivalent for India. India plays a very important part, and though we both have our own political positions and priorities, when it comes to democratic principles and regulatory steps, both our countries and both our markets tend to be very diligent and adherent to certain details,” Wadephul noted.
Both ministers agreed that progress on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks would strengthen bilateral relations and also serve the larger goal of global economic stability.
Highlighting the significance of the relationship, Jaishankar said Germany, as the largest country in the European Union, plays a central role in India’s global calculations.
“This relationship is growing in substance, and I can see at this time of uncertainties that actually it has a greater value,” he said.
The minister also discussed the predictability of India-Germany relations.
“It is a very steady relationship. It is a relationship where largely what we promise to each other and policies that we have remain constant and predictable. So predictability today has a huge premium in global politics,” he remarked.
Jaishankar welcomed Wadephul, who is visiting India for the first time in his current role as FM, and expressed confidence that he would bring the same enthusiasm he showed during earlier interactions.
“I had the honour of being his guest this May, and between May and now, we have actually been regularly in touch in this intervening period… I am very confident that that enthusiasm will now be applied by him fully in his new role,” Jaishankar said.
During their bilateral meeting, both ministers also exchanged views on regional, global, and multilateral issues. Discussions covered cooperation in defence and security, with Jaishankar appreciating Germany’s support in India’s fight against terrorism.
“We greatly value the understanding that Germany has shown with regard to India’s fight against terrorism,” he said, adding that Wadephul himself has been explicit about India’s right to defend its people against terrorist attacks.
He further recalled that an Indian parliamentary delegation visiting Germany in June, soon after Operation Sindoor, was warmly received. (ANI)
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