India, Germany to talk terror

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Germany from May 29, during which he will discuss trade, investment, energy and defence cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Pertinent that Germany has already expressed readiness to conclude a government-to-government agreement on defence.

In a veiled message to Pakistan without naming it, German Ambassador Martin Ney said in New Delhi on Tuesday that terrorism should not emanate from any country and — in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for New Delhi — that every country had a right to defend itself.

In an important declaration, the German envoy also said, “Kashmir is a domestic issue of this country (India)”, thereby making it clear the issue would not be discussed during PM Modi’s visit. Another issue likely to be discussed during the visit will be the fight against terrorism — in the wake of the terror attack at Manchester, the UK, on Tuesday — with the German envoy saying Germany was “worried about the threat of terrorism”. Issues like China’s proposed ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) project, however, could be discussed. After India boycotted the recent conference in Beijing, Germany, too, has raised concerns about the Chinese project, saying that European countries had not signed the OBOR trade agreement due to the lack of adequate deliberations or consultations on the issue.

Mr Ney said while European countries had attended the conference, they had not signed the trade agreement due to some “hesitation”, even as he described OBOR as a “top down” approach of China.

The German ambassador also made it clear that there was a difference between the proposed OBOR and the centuries-old Silk route for trade.

Mr Ney said PM Modi would hold the fourth the edition of Inter-Government Consultations with Chancellor Merkel along with senior ministers from the two sides. He compared the forthcoming meeting as a joint Cabinet meeting of the two sides. PM Modi will reach Berlin on May 29 where he will attend a bilateral dinner meeting with Chancellor Merkel. The next day, on May 30, he will attend the plenary session of the consultations. That evening, PM Modi will leave for Spain on the next leg of his foreign visit, after which he will visit Russia in the beginning of June.

Despite China’s opposition, Germany has also expressed complete support for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and is also likely to discuss the issue of freedom of navigation in international waters and the situation in the South China Sea with India, which is being seen by observers as a veiled criticism by Germany of the Chinese position on the issue.

Asked about prospects of increased defence cooperation, German envoy Ney said, “Germany is ready to conclude a Government to Government agreement (on Defence). There are export control agreements in place but India is a strategic partner,” adding that therefore there are no objections to inking such a pact.

The German envoy also pointed out that India is Germany’s top development partner while for India, Germany is the second-highest financial assistance donor for development projects. He also said there are 14,000 Indian students currently studying in Germany, “twice as much as four years ago” which is a “25 percent annual increase”.

About the nearly one million refugees—-who earlier escaped the Syrian conflict——that Germany had taken in, Mr. Ney said the vast majority of them are “genuine refugees” from an “educated middle-class background” to whom Germany will grant asylum.