Olaf Scholz calls India central partner for Germany in Asia

dpa Berlin German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India is a central partner in Asia when it comes to economic issue...

dpa Berlin German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India is a central partner in Asia when it comes to economic issues, security and climate policy, as the two leaders met on Monday.India is a key country in terms of global climate protection, Scholz said, noting that the current heatwave in India shows how vital it is to halt the process of climate change.Modi was welcomed to Berlin with military honours at the chancellery on Monday, before the two leaders held talks with departmental representatives.Later, they agreed on 14 joint declarations of intent following consultations on trade, business and the climate.The declarations included cooperating on hydrogen, and the leaders set up a task force to address this area. India is well placed to become a key production location for green hydrogen in the long term, the German Economics Ministry said.Green hydrogen is important to Germany, which aims to become carbon neutral by 2045. The transition means production processes in the steel and chemical industries will have to be converted. Large quantities of green hydrogen are likely to be required, to generate green electricity.The two leaders also agreed on a mobility and migration partnership, covering legal migration, as Scholz commented on Germany’s shortage of skilled workers.Modi meanwhile said India is also keen to make rapid progress towards a free trade agreement with the EU.Germany is India’s most important trading partner in the EU and sixth most important trading partner worldwide, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said.The Indo-German meeting is the sixth of its kind, with the last held in India in November 2019 just before the coronavirus broke out.Next, Modi is due to travel to Denmark and France on Tuesday and Wednesday.In Copenhagen, Modi plans to attend the second India-Nordic summit, which brings together the South Asian country along with Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.On the last leg, Modi is due to stop in Paris where he plans to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, who was just re-elected to the top post after defeating far-right rival Marine Le Pen in a fiercely-fought election.