Indian PM Narendra Modi on Saturday told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that India is willing to contribute to peace efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.
Overview
“India is ready to contribute to any peace process,” Modi said during a joint press conference with Scholz in New Delhi. “Since the beginning of the developments in Ukraine, India has insisted on resolving this dispute through dialogue and diplomacy,” the PM stressed.
Saying that the war in Ukraine has had a “negative impact on developing countries,” Modi stressed that the conflict can only be solved through “joint efforts.”
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He further noted that multilateral institutions like the UN Security Council should be reformed “to reflect global realities in a better way.”
Modi made the comments days after India abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Meeting With Scholz
In the press conference, Modi said that New Delhi and Berlin will “continue to make efforts to fully realise our untapped potential” in the defence and security fields. Accordingly, he stated that security and defence could become an “important pillar” of India and Germany’s “strategic partnership.”
Chancellor @OlafScholz and I met top CEOs to discuss ways to strengthen economic relations between our nations. Sectors like digital transformation, FinTech, IT and Telecom featured prominently in the meeting. pic.twitter.com/0tACfOrlsI
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 25, 2023
Moreover, the PM highlighted that both countries are actively cooperating against terrorism and separatism, and agreed that “concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism.”
Other Areas of Cooperation
The two leaders discussed cooperation in the fields of migration, sustainable development, renewable energy, digital economy, and trade.
Furthermore, they agreed to enhance India-Germany cooperation in innovation and technology. In a separate statement, the Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that New Delhi and Berlin aim to incorporate their technology cooperation as part of their strategic partnership.
“Their cooperation on innovation, technology and industry aims at benefitting humanity and is firmly guided by their shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights,” the statement noted.