Relations between India and Germany are very old. Both have reached an agreement on many issues at the diplomatic level. Preparations are underway to give a new impetus to defense cooperation between India and Germany. New Ambassador of Germany in India Dr. Jesper Weik said that the defense and security partnership between the two countries has strengthened rapidly over the past few years. German ambassador has offered a big defense from Germany for India. During the deal there will be no restrictions on arms export licenses and technology transfer.
Germany is ready to sign a proposed submarine partnership agreement with India after getting necessary approvals from India, Jasper Weeks said on Wednesday. He also said that to give a new direction to Indo-German defense industrial cooperation, Germany has liberalized its stance on defense export licenses, considering India as a reliable partner. He said that now there is no major obstacle against this partnership.
Germany’s participation in wave power air exercise to be held in India, Germany will participate in the exercise with A400M transport aircraft, the German ambassador said. Germany has previously participated in Indian military exercises with the Eurofighter.
Preparations are underway to give a new impetus to Indo-German defense cooperation. Jasper Weeks said that the defense and security partnership between the two countries has strengthened rapidly over the past few years. German participation in Tarang Shakti air exercise to be held in India, Germany will participate in the exercise with A400M transport aircraft. Germany has previously participated in Indian military exercises with the Eurofighter.
Germany also participated in the Milan naval exercise, earlier this year Germany participated in the exercise with P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. The ambassador said that since India also operates P-8 aircraft, there is good potential to increase interoperability between the militaries of the two countries. Regarding Germany’s major involvement in Indo-Pacific maritime security, the ambassador said that a German liaison officer has been stationed at the Indo-Pacific Information Fusion Center in Delhi for the past two months.
German officials are participating in maritime awareness and information sharing in the Indian Ocean. According to the ambassador, it is also important for Germany’s trade and commercial shipping.
In a bid to give a new direction to Indo-German defense industrial cooperation, Ambassador Weick said the two countries have signed a Defense Industrial Roadmap in April 2026 in the presence of Defense Ministers. Regarding the Germany-India submarine deal, the ambassador said that the text of the submarine deal is almost complete, but it is yet to be signed.
He also said that Germany has made a major change in defense export licensing policy. Considering India as a reliable partner, Germany is now leaning more towards defense export licences. According to the ambassador, this will reduce major barriers to Indo-German defense industrial cooperation and give a new direction to the cooperation.
On technology transfer, the ambassador said that technology transfer is important in defense cooperation, as India seeks to increase indigenous production and development of its defense capabilities. The ambassador said that both India and Germany are investing heavily in their defense sector and both countries are facing complex geo-strategic situations. A strong defense capability is critical to the security, peace and national development of both countries.
The German ambassador did not consider the AfD party’s lead in the regional elections being held here a big deal. He believes that the results of regional elections will not have any impact on Indo-German relations. Recent regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin have seen significant increases in votes for the far-right party AfD.
He said that despite these election results, the partnership between India and Germany will remain strong and it will not affect the existing cooperation between the two countries. Subjects like foreign policy, security policy, migration policy, economic policy and trade fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, according to the ambassador. Regional governments do not have the authority to set these federal policies.
He said that the results of regional elections should therefore not be linked to the direction of Indo-German relations. The ambassador also clarified that in three states the AfD did not get the majority to form a government alone. Citing the examples of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin, he said there was a majority group on the left-wing political spectrum, which could be in a position to form a government. While the AfD finished third in Berlin, the election results do not picture the AfD forming a government alone.
The German ambassador also said that these elections should not be seen as a political picture of Germany as a whole, as these are regional elections of small states. Giving figures, he said that Saxony-Anhalt has about 1.7 lakh eligible voters and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has about 1.3 lakh eligible voters.
The ambassador indicated that issues such as migration mobility partnership, technical cooperation, development cooperation and India-EU free trade agreement will be pursued under federal and European level policies.
The strategic partnership between India and Germany is today more important than ever for both. New Ambassador of Germany in India Dr. Weik said that in the current global environment, the importance of relations based on trust and stability between the two countries has increased. He said the world is currently going through a period of uncertainty, lack of trust in international relations and competition between major powers. In such an environment the Indo-German partnership is based on trust, anticipation and mutual trust. He said that the Indo-German strategic partnership started in the year 2000, but its importance today is more than the last 26 years.
On the situation in Europe, the ambassador mentioned the Russia-Ukraine war and said that Russia’s war has damaged trust, peace and stability in Europe. On the situation in the Indo-Pacific, he said China’s more assertive and reformist stance also poses certain challenges for India.
He also mentioned the US and said that the US has been Germany’s most important and reliable partner for decades, but cooperation is becoming somewhat difficult due to the ever-changing policy stance of the US.
The new German ambassador said the first priority of his tenure was to fully exploit the potential of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). He said the agreement is expected to be signed by the end of this year and will come into effect after approval by the Indian and European parliaments. According to the ambassador, he and the German embassy will focus on bringing Indian and German companies together, increasing business matchmaking and promoting investment and trade.
He said experts estimate that the FTA has the potential to double India-Germany trade in the next five years. The ambassador said that within six weeks of his arrival in India, two large business delegations from Germany had arrived in India. Including a business delegation led by Hesse’s Chief Minister Boris Rhine.
The ambassador also described the India-Germany Green and Sustainable Development Partnership as an important platform. He said that the two countries can enhance cooperation in several areas including renewable energy, green hydrogen and clean technology. A bilateral Artificial Intelligence (AI) agreement also exists between India and Germany since February, the ambassador said.
The ambassador kept labor migration and student exchange as his other main focus. He said that people-to-people contacts are the foundation of India-Germany strategic partnership. Referring to the significant increase in the number of Indian students in Germany, the ambassador said that in 2020 there were around 20 thousand Indian students in Germany, while now this number has increased to around 70 thousand.
He indicated that exchanges of skilled Indian workers to Germany and students would be an important part of bilateral relations in the future.
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