New Delhi [India], July 20 : Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday met German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck as the two leaders chaired the Indo-German Freundschaft Business Interaction at Vanijya Bhawan here.
The business interaction was also attended by a German delegation comprising top executives of large and medium-sized companies.
Habeck, who arrived in India in the early hours of Thursday for a three-day visit, had inaugurated the Indo-German Business Forum in Delhi. On the sidelines of the event, the Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said that Europe has a complicated relationship with China, which happens to be the largest trading partner of the European Union.
Earlier in the day, the German Minister met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the two discussed many new opportunities for India-Germany cooperation that a rising India presents.
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that they had also exchanged perspectives on the conflict in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific situation.
"Delighted to welcome German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in New Delhi. A productive discussion on the many new opportunities of India-Germany cooperation that a rising India presents. Also exchanged perspectives on the conflict in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific situation," Jaishankar said.
"China is our biggest trading partner, so a lot of German companies have invested in China. It’s a huge market and this goes the same for India and US for example," Habeck said while speaking to the reporters here in the national capital today.
On India’s stance in the Russia-Ukraine war and India not joining the price cap imposed by the Group of Seven (G7), the German Vice Chancellor said that the Russian aggression on Ukraine is unprecedented and it has changed everything in Europe.
"From the European side, the Russian aggression on Ukraine is unprecedented. It destroyed the European peace order built up after the Second World War. This is a historic event that has changed everything in Europe. Europe is a little bit away from Asia, but this is important that I urge all the democracies worldwide to be clear in language and political position that this is not acceptable," the German minister said.
During his stay, Vice-Chancellor Habeck is expected to hold high-level meetings with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, as well as with the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, and Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh, the German Embassy said.
Vice-Chancellor Habeck will visit several Indo-German joint ventures in Delhi and Mumbai.
In Mumbai, he is also planning to engage with the Government of Maharashtra to visit a non-governmental project supporting sustainable development and to have an exchange with young Indian entrepreneurs, as per the German Embassy in India.
On the last leg of his visit, Vice-Chancellor Habeck will participate in the G20 Energy Ministers meeting in Goa.
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