INDIA & GERMANY RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL
News: Jaishankar-Baerbock
talks: India buys one-sixth of Europe’s consumption of Russian oil, says
Jaishankar defending India policy
What's in the news?
● India’s
consumption of Russian oil was just one-sixth of European consumption and
should not be compared unfavorably, said External Affairs Minister S.
Jaishankar, defending the Government’s
decision to increase its intake of Russian oil since the war in Ukraine,
that was discussed in his talks with visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena
Baerbock.
● Ms.
Baerbock’s visit coincided with the launch of an “oil price cap” plan by the G-7 and European Union countries to
withdraw shipping and insurance services to countries that buy Russian oil
above the price of $60 per barrel.
Key takeaways:
● The
two sides said they held talks on bilateral issues, including Germany’s
assistance to India on renewable energy
and energy transitions, as well as international issues like their Indo-Pacific strategy, and spoke about
China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
● At
the end of talks, India and Germany signed a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility meant to ease
travel for research, study and work for people in both countries, which Mr.
Jaishankar said would be the “basis for a more contemporary partnership” to
relations.
● Germany
is connected to India in a partnership of people
to people ties and values – as the biggest democracy, India is exemplary
and a role model for other countries.
India-Germany Relations:
1. Bilateral relations:
● Germany
is one of India’s most important partners in Europe owing to the strength of
bilateral relations, as also Germany’s key role in the EU.
● India
was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the Federal
Republic of Germany after the Second World War.
2. Strategic Partnership:
● India
and Germany have had a 'Strategic Partnership' since May 2000, which has been
further strengthened with the launch of Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC)
in 2011 at the level of Heads of
Government.
● It
allows for a comprehensive review of cooperation and identification of fresh
areas of engagement. India is among a select group of countries with which Germany
has such a dialogue mechanism.
● India
and Germany have a shared interest in upholding
democratic values, a rules-based international order, and reform of
multilateral institutions. These issues are expected to figure in the
discussions, especially in the context of China’s assertiveness in the
Indo-Pacific region.
3. Institutional Cooperation Arrangements:
● Several
institutionalized arrangements exist between India and Germany to discuss
bilateral and global issues of interest, namely, Foreign Office Consultations, High Defence Committee, Indo-German
Energy Forum, Indo-German Environment Forum, S&T Committee, and Joint
Working Groups in various fields, including skill development, automotive,
agriculture, tourism, water and waste management.
● Both
countries consult each other and coordinate positions in multilateral fora
including G-20 and in the UN on global issues such as climate change and
sustainable development.
● There
have been consultations between the two countries on various subjects such as
UN issues, international cyber issues, disarmament and non-proliferation,
export control, Asia and Africa.
4. Multilateral Cooperation:
● Germany
and India support each other on UNSC expansion within the framework of the G-4.
● Germany
joined the Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in February 2020 and participated in the
first Governing Council meeting in March 2020.
● In
April 2021, the German Federal Cabinet approved the signing of the amended
framework agreement of the International
Solar Alliance (ISA), and thereby Germany's accession to the ISA.
5. Security Cooperation:
● The
MoU on Security Cooperation signed at the 3rd IGC held in Delhi in 2015 defines
collaboration in this field.
6. Defence Cooperation:
● Bilateral Defence
Cooperation Agreement signed in September 2006
and the Agreement on Mutual Protection
of Classified Information signed in October 2007, provide the framework for
bilateral defence ties.
7. Economic & Commercial Relations:
● Germany is India’s
largest trading partner in Europe. It has
consistently been among India’s top ten global partners and was the
seventh-largest trading partner in FY 2020-21.
● Bilateral
trade in 2020-21 was USD 21.76 billion registering a marginal decline of about
1% over FY 2019-20.
8. Science & Technology:
● Bilateral
Science and Technology cooperation is implemented under an Inter-Governmental
Agreement on ‘Cooperation in Scientific
Research and Technological Development’ signed in May 1974.
● The
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Federal Ministry for
Education and Research (BMBF) are the nodal agencies for overall coordination.
An apex Indo-German Committee on S&T, established in 1994 coordinates the
implementation of cooperation and joint review of activities.
9. Culture:
● The
Indo-German cultural relations have a long tradition that was derived through
the systematic and academic study of Indian literature, especially Vedas and
Upanishads, and also translation of famous works from Sanskrit to German
language.
● Most
importantly, the translation of Kalidasa’s
‘Shakuntala’ in 1791 envisaged institution-based scientific research on
sacred Indian texts for the quest of Indian philosophy and literature.
● Max Mueller
was the first scholar of Indo-European languages to translate and publish
Upanishads and Rigveda.
10. Indian Diaspora:
● There
are around 2.03 lakh (December 2021) Indian passport holders and Indian-origin
people (about 1.60 lakh NRIs/Indian Passport holders and around 43,000 PIOs in
Germany.
● India
and Germany signed a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility meant
to ease travel for research, study and work for people in both countries
11. Energy Partnership:
● Under
the energy partnership, the Green
Hydrogen Task Force will develop a Green Hydrogen Roadmap.
Challenges:
1. Historical:
● Earlier,
Cold War politics, as well as the lack of development in India caused German
governments to treat the world’s largest democracy with indifference for many
years.
2. Political:
● Germany
has expressed concerns about Kashmir
lockdown and the rights of minorities in India and has begun to cast a
shadow over the “shared political values” (freedom and the rights of
minorities) with India.
3. Economical:
● Further,
Germany and the European Union are skeptical about India’s trade liberalization measures, as Germany and EU bat for
more liberal labor regulations.
● India
had recently celebrated remarkable improvements in the ease of doing business,
indicating its willingness to remove bureaucratic hurdles.
● However,
technical regulations in trade like testing requirements are a real burden for
German Companies.
WAY FORWARD:
● Germany had recognized
India as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region
especially when the region is gaining importance in the geopolitics of the
globe.
● The
India-Germany partnership has the potential to resolve global issues like food security, energy, defense security,
and green development.
● Germany
will preside over the G7 in 2022, and starting in December 2022, India will
preside over the G20. This provides a chance to work together and coordinate
the efforts.
● The
India-Germany partnership in green
development and tackling climate change is crucial to fulfilling
sustainable development goals.