More for later: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s India visit

Amid tensions on several other foreign policy fronts, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was the first of several high-level visitors to Delhi to strengthen India-Europe ties. Preparations are on for the EU-India Summit later this month, when the Presidents of the European Commission and Council will attend the Republic Day parade; plans for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit — he will attend the AI summit in February — are also being finalised. The meet between Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad was about more than bilateral relations. It was about reaffirming elements of talks with the EU to conclude a long-awaited trade agreement, as Germany is its biggest economy, as well as exchanging notes on geopolitical turmoil, especially the U.S.’s actions. The leaders also attended a business council meeting, where they pitched more investments. With trade passing $50 billion in 2024-25, Germany remains India’s largest trading partner in Europe. While the talks are understood to have been substantive, the outcomes were in essence a series of “Joint Declarations of Interest (JDI)” and MoUs. Among the JDIs signed, several deal with cooperation on strategic issues, including a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to promote collaborations and technology partnerships in defence equipment. This is seen as a precursor to the enabling agreements for defence purchases that India and Germany have been discussing but have yet to sign on to.

Where India and Germany have a less common view is on the Ukraine war, and the European contention that India must curtail its relationship with Russia. Chancellor Merz may have overstepped as he sought to portray India’s German defence relationship as a means to reduce its “dependence” on Russian hardware. The statement was refuted by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri later. While Germany and the EU are also hoping for a closer dialogue with India on the Indo-Pacific, Germany’s bilateral trade with China, pegged at $287 billion in 2024-25, has not diversified and China is Germany’s largest trading partner. It is therefore doubly significant that Chancellor Merz made India his first stop in Asia. The two sides also have differences over the upbringing of five-year-old Ariha Shah, who was taken away by German child services in 2021 over allegations that her Indian parents abused her. Despite India’s appeals, Ms. Shah continues to live in German foster care, with only periodic consular and parental visits, and little sustained exposure to Indian culture or languages. The case of an individual may seem less important, but should be resolved without further delay.