Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said there is no winning party in the Russia-Ukraine war as everyone will lose, adding that peace and talks between the countries are the only way to resolve the conflict. PM Modi remarked during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin in which the two leaders discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation under the overall strategic partnership, as well as regional and global developments.
PM Modi said India has provided humanitarian help to Ukraine and called for peaceful relations between the two countries. “Recent geopolitical incidents have shown that world peace and stability are in critical condition and revealed how all countries are interconnected. We had said that talks are the only way to solve the Ukraine crisis. We believe that no one will be the victorious party in this war,” the Prime Minister said.
He also said due to the turmoil in the Ukraine war, commodity prices have increased. “This will impact developing countries and the war will have a global impact,” he said.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Germany deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine and said, “through its attack on Ukraine, Russia has violated fundamental principles of international law. The war and the brutal attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine show how unrestrained Russia has been in violating the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.” Scholz said. “I repeat my appeal to (Vladimir) Putin to end the war, to end this senseless killing,”
Both India and Germany “expressed their serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They unequivocally condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine,” it said.
“They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states. They discussed the destabilizing effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its broader regional and global implications. Both sides agreed to remain closely engaged on the issue,” it further said.
Modi arrived in Berlin on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France. Prime Minister Modi was received by Chancellor Scholz in a ceremonial welcome at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin upon his arrival for talks. He was accorded the Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.
The two leaders thereafter met in a one-on-one format followed by delegation-level talks. The meeting was held before the sixth round of Biennial Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between India and Germany.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit comes amid the Ukraine crisis, which has united much of Europe against Russia. “Expanding India-Germany cooperation. PM @narendramodi and Chancellor Scholz meet in Berlin. @Bundeskanzle,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
This was Prime Minister Modi’s first meeting with Scholz as German Chancellor, who assumed office in December, 2021.
Scholz said, “India is among our very important partners here. The world can only develop well if we are clear as to the fact that future relations in the world will be characterised and marked by many countries, not by a few powerful countries.”
Later, Modi and Scholz co-chaired the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval were also present in the meeting.
“We are ready to continue and deepen the close cooperation with India on global issues. During our 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, we also focussed on global issues and these consultations help us deepen our relationship,” Scholz said.
In 2021, India and Germany commemorated 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and have been strategic partners since 2000, Modi said. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe with a bilateral trade of over USD 21 billion.
The German Chancellor has also invited PM Modi to the G-7 summit in Germany.
Both the countries reaffirmed their full commitment to further expand and deepen the Indo-German Strategic Partnership and in a statement said: “India looks forward to hosting the next IGC.”
Indo-pacific and Strategic Partnership
Both the countries emphasised on maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and recognised the centrality of ASEAN. They acknowledged the German government’s policy for the Indo-Pacific, the EU Strategy for Cooperation and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative enunciated by India. “Both sides underlined the importance of unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation as per International Law, notably the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, in all maritime domains including in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea,” the joint statement read.
Both the sides welcomed the port call by the German Navy Frigate ‘Bayern’ in Mumbai in January 2022. Germany has agreed to welcome an Indian Naval ship on a friendly visit to a German port next year.
On deepening the strategic cooperation between India and the EU, the implementation of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership and the launch of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council were also discussed.
Cooperation with regional organizations such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) as well as in multilateral fora such as the G20.
Addressing close cooperation between the G7 and India during the current German G7 Presidency in just energy transition, both sides have agreed to address the opportunities and challenges of climate-compatible energy policies, rapid deployment of renewable and access to sustainable energy.
Afghanistan
Both the countries raised serious concerns about the humanitarian situation, resurgence of violence, targeted terrorist attacks, systemic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the hampered access of girls and women to education.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which, amongst others, unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, it said.
Calling for concerted action against all terrorist groups, including groups proscribed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee, both sides said they will continue to exchange information about sanctions and designations against terror groups and individuals, countering radicalism, and terrorists’ use of the Internet and cross-border movement of terrorists.
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