During the sixth India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations, Indian Prime Minister (PM) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed “serious concern” about Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities.” However, a joint statement released after their meeting made clear that India would be continuing its policy of not outright condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Their statement kept in line with the remarks made by Scholz before their meeting, wherein he suggested that the two countries share a “broad agreement” that the actions of the Russian troops in Ukraine constitute war crimes and a violation of the “core principles of the United Nations charter.”
Herzlich willkommen in Berlin, lieber @narendramodi! Die ersten Regierungskonsultationen unserer neuen Bundesregierung finden mit der indischen Regierung statt. Das zeigt die besondere Qualität unserer Beziehungen. pic.twitter.com/NBwoQqvSMr
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) May 2, 2022
Scholz’s efforts to avoid making the Ukraine issue a point of contention between the two sides in an effort to broaden Germany’s Indo-Pacific footprint and also further isolate Russia. At the same time, Scholz is no doubt keen to present his government as an able and willing partner, given that he only came into power last December.
To this end, Scholz also invited Modi to attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in June, thereby firmly and formally refuting unverified reports last month that it was reconsidering its invitation over India’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its decision to purchase discounted Russian oil.
The meeting marked the first interaction between Modi and Scholz and was the Indian leader’s first stop on his Europe tour, during which he will also visit Denmark and France. He is accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and Secretary of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Anurag Jain.
The 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations were productive. Chancellor Scholz and I , along with Ministers, officials from Germany and India discussed ways to boost cooperation in areas like sustainable development, mobility, economic growth and more. @Bundeskanzler pic.twitter.com/roY6njANQH
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2022
The joint statement released after the meeting reiterated the importance of “international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states.” They further discussed the regional and global impact of the Ukraine conflict. “We believe that there will be no winner in this war, everyone will lose. We are in favour of peace,” Modi declared.
Meanwhile, Scholz sharply remarked, “Russia has violated fundamental principles of international law,” highlighting reports of the brutal attacks on civilians, which he said showed how “unrestrained Russia has been in violating the fundamental principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter.”
The Inter-Governmental Consultation between India and Germany illustrate the special nature of this friendship.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 2, 2022
Prime Minister @narendramodi, Chancellor Scholz and top Ministers from India and Germany meet in Berlin. @Bundeskanzler pic.twitter.com/uyEh2Kc9Kq
However, the joint statement was carefully worded to say that Germany re-emphasised its “strong condemnation” of Russia’s “unlawful and unprovoked aggression” against Ukraine, implying that India did not wish to echo these words.
While India has frequently lamented the casualties and condemned the hostilities, it has refused to outright denounce Russia. Instead, it has called for a return to diplomacy and respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
In contrast, Germany has released several strongly-worded statements against Russia and its military invasion of Ukraine in alignment with its Western and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies.
Discussions continue between PM @narendramodi and Chancellor Scholz in Berlin. Both leaders are reviewing the full range of bilateral ties between India and Germany, including giving an impetus to trade as well as cultural linkages. @Bundeskanzler pic.twitter.com/Wj3M8mVQjr
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 2, 2022
Despite their differences on the Ukraine conflict, New Delhi and Berlin agreed to cooperate on several other issues of regional and multilateral concern. For instance, while they highlighted the importance of the United Nations, they stressed on the need for “effective and reformed multilateralism,” particularly in light of “challenges such as climate change, poverty, global food security, threats to democracy such as misinformation, international conflicts and crises and international terrorism.”
The joint statement also emphasised the importance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in protecting “rules-based, open, inclusive, free and fair trade.” Furthermore, the two sides agreed to pursue reforms to the WTO, aiming to strengthen “its principles and functions, especially preserving the two-tier Appellate Body, along with the autonomy of the Appellate Body.”
Good conversation with FM @ABaerbock.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 2, 2022
Reviewed our bilateral cooperation. Discussed Ukraine conflict & Indo-Pacific.
Signed agreement on direct encrypted connection between the two Foreign Offices.
Will be reporting at the Inter-Governmental Consultations Plenary. pic.twitter.com/FWuGCA5VVg
Furthermore, they restated their commitment to the “Group of Four,” which comprises India, Germany, Brazil, and Japan, all of which support each other’s campaign for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC). Germany also “reiterated its steadfast support for India’s early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.”
In addition, Modi and Scholz agreed to enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific to promote their joint vision of a “free, open, and inclusive” Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. In this regard, they stressed the “centrality of ASEAN” and the importance of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In this regard, they recognised Germany’s Policy Guidelines for the Indo-Pacific, the European Union’s (EU) Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative as well.
The release underlined the importance of regional organisations like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and multilateral institutions like the G20 and G7.
My remarks after talks with Chancellor @OlafScholz. https://t.co/fs0L2E2bFa
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2022
Additionally, the two sides discussed the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and raised concern about the “targeted terrorist attacks, the systemic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the hampered access of girls and women to education.”
Moreover, they reiterated the need to uphold the UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which underscores the importance of ensuring that Afghanistan is not used for “sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts.” Keeping this in mind, they “strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including any use of terrorist proxies and cross-border terrorism.” Furthermore, they underlined the need for governments across the world to take action against terror groups, particularly by preventing terror financing and money laundering.
In light of these multiple and simultaneous regional and global security challenges, the two countries agreed to “begin negotiations on an Agreement on the exchange of classified information” and agreed to hold “regular bilateral Cyber Consultations and reconvene the Defence Technology Sub-Group (DTSG) meeting.”
Delighted to interact with the Indian community in Berlin. https://t.co/alspwulUS4
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2022
In addition, India and Germany agreed to increase cooperation on climate action significantly. In fact, Scholz pledged $10.51 billion to help India meet its climate goals. The two sides declared that their climate cooperation is “guided by the commitments of India and Germany under the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including pursuing efforts to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Modi and Scholz also signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to establish the Indo-German Green and Sustainable Development Partnership, which will intensify “bilateral, triangular and multilateral cooperation and link it with the strong commitment of both sides on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and SDGs.”
They also agreed to set up a biennial Ministerial Mechanism within the framework of the Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) to provide a “high-level political direction to this Partnership.” The mechanism will receive information about progress made in all their bilateral forms and initiatives on sustainable development and climate action within the partnership and beyond.
Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman interacted with Ms. @SvenjaSchulze68, German Minister for Economic Cooperation & Development, at Berlin, today. Both leaders exchanged views on deepening the dynamic and robust Indo-German bilateral ties. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/nhLRaaDQzU
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) May 2, 2022
At the same time, the two sides agreed to develop a roadmap for green hydrogen, renewable energy, agroecology, and green energy corridors. This roadmap will outline other climate initiatives, such as the 2006 Indo-German Energy Forum, the Joint Working Group on Biodiversity, the Joint Working Group on Waste and Circular Economy, and the 2019 Indo-German Partnership on Green Urban Mobility.
On trade and economic cooperation, the two countries expressed their “strong support” for the upcoming EU-India discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Investment Protection Agreement, and the Agreement on Geographical Indications. The increasing cooperation on trade and investment comes as Germany seeks to diversify its imports from Asia, with an eye on decreasing its reliance on Chinese goods.
In this regard, they pointed out the significance of abiding by international principles on business and human rights, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The release said that both sides aim to “make supply chains more resilient, diversified, responsible, and sustainable” while continuing to abide by “international environmental, labour and social standards.”
In the coming days, I will be visiting Germany, Denmark and France for important bilateral and multilateral engagements.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 1, 2022
The first leg of the visit will be in Germany, where I will meet Chancellor @OlafScholz and co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.
Lastly, they agreed to bolster their partnership on global health in order to “ensure [the] security of medical supply chains, strengthen global preparedness for health emergencies, and reduce future zoonotic risks.” They also promised to work on reforming the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance its capability to respond to future pandemics.
Apart from setting up the partnership on climate action, several other agreements were signed during the Indian delegation’s visit. For instance, Jaishankar and German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze signed agreements on the implementation of Triangular Development Cooperation projects in Third Countries and the Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding Renewable Energy Partnership. Furthermore, the two sides signed agreements on an Indo-German Green hydrogen task force, agroecology, and forest landscape restoration.
Signed the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) with Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of the Federal Republic of Germany Ms @SteffiLemke.
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) May 2, 2022
It is one of the deliverables of the #6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations. pic.twitter.com/1IHi63WSMg
Following his visit to Germany, PM Modi is set to embark on a two-day visit to Copenhagen, Denmark to hold bilateral discussions with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, and attend the Second India-Nordic Summit. Thereafter, he will visit Paris and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron just days after his re-election.