"Second half of October will be German Mohotsav": Envoy Ackermann ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to India

By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann said on Tuesday that the second half of October would be a kind of 'German Mohotsav,' when the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit India for the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).
Scholz is expected to arrive in New Delhi with a large delegation comprising around seven to eight ministers, the envoy revealed.
Speaking to ANI, Ackermann said, "Basically, what we are going to have is a kind of a German Mohotsav. I would say that at the end of October, we'll have the intergovernmental consultations, where, indeed the Chancellor and seven - eight ministers will travel to Delhi. We have, at the same time, the Asia Pacific conference of the German business. And you'll have a lot of very very high-ranking German CEOs coming to Delhi in order to discuss German business in India and Asia."
"So basically, the last second half of October will be very German. And I'm very happy to receive so many different German elements. India will be a fabulous host, and as usual, we are looking forward to it," he added.
Highlighting the defence cooperation between India and Germany, the envoy stated, "We have significantly improved our presence here when it comes to the military-strategic cooperation in India."
Notably, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius during which they reviewed the ongoing defence cooperation activities, including exercises in the air and maritime domains. The Ministers also discussed ways to further strengthen the defence-industrial collaboration and enhance supply chain resilience.
The telephone conversation comes ahead of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's scheduled visit to India later this month.
"So, the ministers talk today in order to prepare their bilateral meeting at the end of October, in the context of these intergovernmental consultations. The Minister of the Defence of Germany will see Raksha Mantri here in Delhi, and they will certainly discuss many projects that are on the table. I think we've seen an increase of German defense production sales here and purchase here in India, and that is basically in conformity with the policy of the German government to close hands for the security," added the German Envoy.
Notably, in May 2022, PM Modi visited Berlin as part of the 6th Indo-German Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). During their talks, the two heads of government acknowledged the importance of digital transformation as a key driver for technological, economic and societal change.
In addition, Modi and Scholz signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) establishing a Green and Sustainable Development Partnership. With this partnership, Germany intends to strengthen its financial and technical cooperation with India by investing at least 10 billion Euros until 2030.
Germany and India's diplomatic relations have now existed for more than seven decades. One of its key pillars is its shared interest in strengthening multilateral cooperation and promoting a sustainable digital economy.
Chancellor Scholz visited India in February 2023 leading a high-level business delegation comprising CEOs of major German companies. Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor jointly addressed a Business Round table comprising top industry leaders from both sides.
The visit saw the release of a common paper titled "India- Germany Vision to Enhance Cooperation in Innovation and Technology" by both sides. Scholz was in New Delhi for the G20 summit as well which was hosted by India in September. (ANI)