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Jaishankar's ‘big changes' statement after meeting German minister amid US tariffs; calls for closer India-EU ties
Jaishankar highlighted that geopolitical uncertainties and economic volatility make a “very powerful case” for stronger partnerships with EU and Germany.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said the global strategic and economic landscape is undergoing “significant and far-reaching changes”, stressing the need for India, the European Union (EU), and Germany in particular, to deepen cooperation in response to these shifts.
Addressing a joint press conference with visiting German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar highlighted that geopolitical uncertainties and economic volatility make a “very powerful case” for stronger partnerships.
Wadephul is on a two-day visit to India, having begun his engagements in Bengaluru on Tuesday before arriving in New Delhi for talks.
The statement also comes at a time when India is facing heightened economic pressures, including the Donald Trump administration's recent decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports linked to its purchases of Russian crude oil.
During the presser, Jaishankar urged for a stronger relationship with Germany, saying, “We are witnessing significant and far-reaching changes on the global strategic landscape. We're also seeing a lot of volatility on the global economic landscape and I think together they make a very powerful case for India and the European Union and India and Germany to work much more closely with each other. This is a relationship where there are considerable possibilities for fairly rapid growth,” news agency ANI reported.
He added, “So the bottom line answer is yes. There are big changes underway in the world. Those changes make a very compelling case for a deeper, stronger, wider India-Germany relationship.”
India-Germany trade growth
Jaishankar underlined the importance of bilateral cooperation with Germany and said discussions also focused on advancing trade negotiations.
“Today, our conversation was mostly devoted to the bilateral part...The minister was kind enough to assure me that Germany would also put its full weight behind the FTA negotiations with the European Union,” ANI quoted EAM as saying.
Emphasizing the significance of India-Germany relations, Jaishankar said the partnership is “enormously important” and gaining strength amid global uncertainties.
He noted that bilateral trade reached almost 50 billion euros last year, and added that the German minister had expressed confidence that trade volumes would double in the coming years.
(With ANI inputs)
