EAM Jaishankar, German MP Hardt discuss Gulf, Ukraine and India-Germany ties

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets German parliamentarian Juergen Hardt. Pic/PTI

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a meeting with German MP Jurgen Hardt in New Delhi on Friday, discussing developments related to West Asia, Ukraine and the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Germany's new Ambassador to India, Jasper Wieck, also attended the meeting. Hardt is also the foreign policy spokesperson for CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.

"A pleasure to meet Jurgen Hardt, Foreign Policy spokesperson, CDU-CSU. Our conversation covered recent developments pertaining to the Gulf, West Asia, Ukraine and the India-German Strategic Partnership," EAM Jaishankar posted on X following the meeting.

Germany is one of India's most important partners in Europe. India was one of the first nations to establish diplomatic ties with Germany after the Second World War in 1951. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The strategic partnership between India and Germany is based on the Agenda for the Indo-German Partnership in the 21st Century, which was adopted in May 2000 and updated by further joint declarations, such as the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement of 2022, a German Federal Foreign Office statement details.

On Thursday, Jasper Wieck said that he wants to serve as a "matchmaker, enabler and catalyst" to take friendship between India and Germany to a new level.

In a video posted on X, Wieck recalled his first visit to India when he was a student. He later served as the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy. He also spoke about meeting the Embassy team in New Delhi and described them as a "true engine" behind the operations carried out by the mission.

"For me, coming to India is like coming home. I am an old friend of India. I first came to India 35 years ago. I was still a student, immediately I felt thrilled by the country and its people. Many years later, together with Cordula, I returned to India as Deputy Head of the German Embassy. We have fond memories of these years. And here we are again. We have just arrived from Berlin. On my first day, I met with the entire Embassy team. They are the true engine behind our operations," Wieck said in the video.

He stated that it is an honour for him to serve as Germany's Ambassador to India and that the Indian diaspora is growing in Germany while the German investments are increasing in India.

"Once I have presented my credentials in the coming weeks, I want to serve as a matchmaker, as an enabler, and as a catalyst to bring the Indo-German friendship to a new level. We are building new bridges between our nations every day. The Indian diaspora in Germany is growing as the German investments in India. In these dynamic times, it's a great honour to serve as the German Ambassador to India, together with the entire Embassy team and our four general consulates across the country," said Wieck.

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