German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will undertake a two-day official visit to India beginning January 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his first official trip to the country since assuming office in May 2025.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Chancellor Merz is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Modi in Ahmedabad, where both leaders will also participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. The visit will then move to Gandhinagar, where bilateral engagements are planned at Mahatma Mandir.
The PMO stated that the discussions between the two leaders will focus on reviewing the progress of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently completed 25 years. The talks are expected to explore ways to further deepen cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility.
In addition, the leaders will deliberate on strengthening collaboration in key areas such as defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties. The visit is also expected to include interactions with business and industry leaders from both India and Germany, underscoring the economic dimension of bilateral relations.
The PMO noted that Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, reflecting the growing convergence between the two countries on international and strategic matters.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s visit, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday to discuss bilateral security and defence cooperation. According to the Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, the meeting covered a range of defence-related issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. The Ambassador also conveyed New Year greetings to the Defence Secretary on behalf of the German government.
India and Germany have been steadily expanding defence and security cooperation, with growing emphasis on joint development and manufacturing under India’s defence indigenisation initiatives.
Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz have engaged on multiple occasions at international forums over the past year. In November last year, the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, where they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties across trade, technology and innovation.
Following that meeting, Prime Minister Modi described India’s relationship with Germany as robust and expanding across key sectors. In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister highlighted the growing strategic and economic engagement between the two countries, particularly in areas such as trade, technology and innovation.
The two leaders had also met earlier at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June last year. That interaction marked their first meeting after Chancellor Merz took office in May 2025.
Germany remains one of India’s most important economic partners in the European Union. It is among India’s largest trading partners in the region and a major source of foreign investment, engineering expertise and advanced technology. Bilateral trade and investment ties have continued to grow, supported by strong collaboration in manufacturing, renewable energy, research and industrial innovation.
Chancellor Merz’s visit is expected to further consolidate the strategic partnership between India and Germany and provide fresh momentum to cooperation across political, economic and security domains.
