German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Gujarat today on his first official visit to India, undertaken at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the objective of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
Merz was received at the Ahmedabad airport by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat. The visit comes at a significant milestone, as India and Germany mark 75 years of diplomatic relations and 25 years of their Strategic Partnership.
Welcoming the German leader, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on social media platform X that the visit, including Merz’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi later in the day, is expected to further reinforce the India–Germany partnership. The MEA highlighted the longstanding diplomatic engagement between the two nations and the strategic depth of the relationship.
During his stay in Gujarat, Chancellor Merz is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Modi in Ahmedabad. Both leaders will also attend the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront, an event that coincides with the ongoing cultural celebrations in the state.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the bilateral engagements will continue at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where the two leaders will review progress under the India–Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently completed 25 years.
The discussions are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in key areas including trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility. The two sides will also explore ways to advance collaboration in defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people exchanges, the statement said.
In addition to bilateral matters, Modi and Merz are likely to exchange views on regional and global developments. The visit will also include interactions with business and industry leaders from both countries, underscoring the economic dimension of India–Germany ties.
Ahead of Merz’s arrival, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh last week to discuss bilateral security and defence cooperation. According to a post by the Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, the discussions covered a range of defence-related issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment.
India and Germany have steadily expanded cooperation in defence, technology and innovation in recent years. In November last year, Prime Minister Modi met Chancellor Merz on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, where Modi described bilateral relations as strong and steadily expanding across multiple sectors.
Officials view the current visit as an opportunity to deepen strategic engagement and build momentum across political, economic and security domains.
