German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to visit Bengaluru and Ahmedabad on Jan 12-13. What's on the agenda?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will undertake a two-day visit to India next week. Merz's first India visit is expected to focus on shoring up bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including trade, investment, defence and technology, Ministry of External Affairs said.

Merz will be traveling to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru on January 12-13. The visit is taking place as New Delhi focuses on boosting its overall economic engagement with Europe against the backdrop of Donald Trump administration's tariffs on Indian goods.

The German leader will arrive in Ahmedabad on January 12. He will travel to Bengaluru after concluding his engagements in Ahmedabad. He will also holds talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad.

"The prime minister will receive Chancellor Merz on January 12 in Ahmedabad. The two leaders will take stock of the progress made in diverse aspects of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year," the MEA) said.

The discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people relations, it said.

Just ahead of India-EU free trade agreement

The German Chancellor's visit to India is taking place days before top leaders of the European Union arrive in Delhi for finalising the much-awaited India-EU free trade agreement.

India will host French President Emmanuel Macron next month. Macron is visiting India to participate in the AI Summit.

The MEA said Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also engage with business and industry leaders and exchange views on issues of regional and global importance.

"The visit will build on the momentum generated by regular interactions at the highest political level," it said.

"It will provide a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the shared vision of India and Germany to build a forward-looking partnership for the benefit of the people of both countries and the wider global community," the MEA said in a statement.

People familiar with Merz's visit to India said boosting trade and investment ties will be a major focus area of the German leader's trip, news agency PTI said.

Modi-Merz Talks

The talks between Modi and Merz will be held under the framework of India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.

The German chancellor is visiting India amid a fractious geopolitical environment, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US capturing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

It is expected that the Russia-Ukraine conflict may figure prominently in Modi-Merz talks.

The two leaders may also review progress in bilateral cooperation in the area of clean energy.

In 2024, the two sides launched the Indo-German green hydrogen roadmap that was aimed at supporting India's ambition for production, usage and export of green hydrogen.

(With PTI inputs)