NEW DELHI: India believes there will be no winner in the Russia-Ukraine war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday after holding talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.“We believe that there will be no victorious party in this war and all will suffer losses. Therefore, we are on the side of peace,” Modi said.
Addressing a joint press meet with Scholz after co-chairing the sixth inter-governmental consultations (IGC) between the two nations, Modi said: “Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine we have been supporting the cessation of war and violence and have emphasised on the need to arrive at a resolution through dialogue.’’
Scholz, while formally extending an invite to Modi for the G7 Summit, spoke about the importance of India in the global context. “India is a superpower and we will have a better future together. The development of the world will be marked by many countries and India is one of them. The IGC will deepen our relationship further,’’ said Scholz.
Amongst the new partnerships, Germany promised to support India till 2030 with 10 billion Euros for its green growth plans. Energy and environment were the focus areas of the IGC. An Indo-German partnership on green and sustainable development has been launched. “Green and sustainable growth are an article of faith. We have decided to set up a Green Hydrogen Task Force in both countries,’’ Modi said.
India is hoping to further enhance trade ties with Germany — on the lines of the free-trade pacts it signed with the UAE and Australia, and is in the process of completing with the UK.Germany recognised India’s role in climate change management and signed a number of joint declarations. “We look forward to working together as a team. We’ll make funds available for future,” said Scholz.
Germany is India’s eighth largest FDI contributor. Both sides acknowledged the close cooperation between the G7 and India during the current German G7 presidency. They agreed to jointly work on just energy transition to address the opportunities and challenges of climate-compatible policies.
Af must not be a terror sanctuary: Joint statement
India and Germany in their joint statement reaffirmed the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2593 (2021), which unequivocally demands that Afghanistan territory be not used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts. Both sides agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan