After the German Federal Elections, German ambassador seemed positive on the future Indo-German ties and said that there “can’t be a solution without India”.
Giving a reference to the population of Indians spread across the world, the German envoy was quoted by news agency saying, “1.4 billion people on this planet, every fifth person is Indian, whatever has to be done on global aspects, be it fight against terrorism, global warming, population, climate change, there can’t be a solution without India.”
The German envoy to India is Walter J. Lindner and his statement came after the recent elections in Germany where Angela Markel’s conservative alliance was defeated by the SDP (Social Democrats).
Details
On September 26, Germany elected its new government with which, chancellor Angela Merkel’s 16-year diplomatic reign ended. While a lot of uncertainty still looms on who the future German chancellor will be, German envoy has ensured strong Indo-German ties, despite the chance in the guards.
The new government comes after India has already announced that it will start the Free Trade agreements with Germany.
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The Facts of the Matter
On September 26, German voters elected a new parliament. The country has now taken the complicated and uncertain route of searching for the next government after the Social Democrats beat Center-Right conservative alliance bloc.
It should be noted that Angela Merkel’s government will remain in the office until a new successor takes charge. The process in itself could take the next few weeks, and perhaps, months. Back in 2018, Angela Merkel had announced that she won’t seek another term in the office.
Indo-German Ties after New Parliament’s Appointment
Amid the hustle-and-bustle, Indians too have been keeping an eye on the election as a stake holder in the situation. To assure Indians about the ties between India and Germany, ambassador Walter J. Lindner spoke in brief about the future between the two countries.
Linder said that the appointment of a new chancellor will have little to no impact as India holds a value within EU anyway. “Whoever be the chancellor in Germany will have close relations with India. India is so important because its 1.4 billion people India is in the region, which is not an easy area. We have excellent bilateral relations, then we have a new strategy for the Indo-Pacific.”
Lots of media interest in deciphering outcome of yesterday’s German Federal elections and it’s possible effects on GER-IND relations…here a few shots from today pic.twitter.com/14Ew6nnIzl
— Walter J. Lindner (@AmbLindnerIndia) September 27, 2021
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“It Will be an Important Region”: German Ambassador
The German Ambassador to India also spoke about the bilateral relations between the two countries and cited the thousands of students and companies that take part in programs. “There are so many bilateral aspects from 2,000 companies in the country to 25,000 students in Germany to trade exchange there is so much so for every politician for every member of parliament for that matter it will be an important region,” he said.
“…There Can’t Be Solution Without India”
He further gave a reference of India’s population, and the impact the population has on several crucial aspects that need to be worked on. “1.4 billion people on this planet, every fifth person is Indian, whatever has to be done on global aspects, be it fight against terrorism, global warming, population, climate change…there can’t be a solution without India, ” he said.
When asked about when the new face of Germany parliament can be seen, Linder said that its likely to be formed around Christmas. “As an optimist, I think we will have the next government in Germany by Christmas, negotiations among parties are going on,” Ambassador Linder said.
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What’s Next for India and Germany?
Since the past two decades, India and Germany have remained partners with multiple military training programs and student exchange programs.
Earlier in 2014, President Pranab Mukherjee was quoted saying, “India attaches high priority to Indo-German strategic partnership based on common and shared values.” Germany too has in the past accepted India as a partner, especially in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Further, Germany provides about 4,00,000 jobs to Indians in India thanks to the presence of 1,700 companies from Germany. With such a scale, both the countries have agreed to resume talks on the Free Trade Agreement, that were stalled after 2013.
