New Delhi: Ahead of his trip to Berlin, Copenhagen and Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his visit to Europe comes at a time when the "region faces many challenges and choices".
In a departure statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday (May 1, 2022), the prime minister said that through his engagements, he intends to strengthen the spirit of cooperation with his European partners, "who are important companions in India’s quest for peace and prosperity".
PM Modi is scheduled to visit Berlin, Germany on May 2 at the invitation of Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany following which he will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark from May 3-4. On the way back to India, he will make a brief stopover in Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
This, notably, will be the Prime Minister's first visit abroad in 2022.
"My visit to Berlin will be an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral discussions with Chancellor Scholz, whom I met at G20 last year in his previous capacity as Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister. We will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC), a unique biennial format which India conducts only with Germany," the Prime Minister’s departure statement said.
"The long-standing commercial ties between India and Germany form one of the pillars of our Strategic Partnership, and Chancellor Scholz and I will also jointly address a Business Roundtable with the goal of energising our industry to industry cooperation, which will help strengthen the post-Covid economic recovery in both countries," he added.
"Continental Europe is home to over one million persons of Indian origin, and Germany has a significant proportion of this Diaspora. The Indian Diaspora is an important anchor in our relations with Europe and therefore I will take the opportunity of my visit to the continent to meet our brothers and sisters there," he said.
In Denmark, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral engagements with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and will also participate in the Second India-Nordic Summit.
"From Berlin, I will travel to Copenhagen where I will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Frederiksen which will provide an opportunity to review the progress in our unique ‘Green Strategic Partnership’ with Denmark, as well as other aspects of our bilateral relations. I will also participate in the India-Denmark Business Roundtable as well as interact with the Indian community in Denmark," he said.
On the way back to India, PM Modi will make a brief stopover in Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
"President Macron and I will share assessments on various regional and global issues and will take stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation. It is my firm belief that two countries that share such similar vision and values for the global order, must work in close cooperation with each other," the Prime Minister’s departure statement added.
