In a first, Modi-Merkel to address joint cabinet meeting

[Bang Galore]

In another of his firsts on diplomatic front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not only have a one-on-one meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she arrives here for a high-profile visit next week but the two will also chair a joint cabinet meeting involving top ministers of both governments. The aim of the join cabinet meeting is to fast-pace programmes and take decisions on haunting issues right away, without consigning them to bureaucratic files.

A high-powered German delegation led by Chancellor Merkel is arriving here on Sunday.The delegation includes six top ministers heading foreign affairs, defence, food and agriculture, education and research, economic cooperation, finance, energy as well as several state ministers and secretaries besides leaders of top German business groups.

Giving details of the visit, German ambassador Martin Ney, while reminding that there were already 1,700 German companies doing business in India, said many more were interested in investing in the country. But, he said, there were still issues like corruption, legal frameworks, matters related to certification and uncertain taxation that hold them back. “Prime Minister Modi's government is tackling these issues. But industry expects more to ease up climate for business,” he said.

Before the joint cabinet meeting, ministers of both sides will hold separate bilateral meetings with their counterparts. “I assure you that they will not just talk, but deliver tangible results,” said the ambassador.

Ney said lots of preparatory work has gone into the Intergovernmental consultations over past several months.

On the second leg of her visit, Merkel along with the Prime Minister Modi will leave for Bangalore on Monday evening to head a joint meeting of business leaders of both countries and meet top executives of Indian start-ups, IT companies and hi-tech engineering research and development (R&D) firms at India’s Silicon Valley at the Nasscom-organised meeting.

Besides addressing 44 German companies which have established R&D centres in India, Merkel will also address Indian IT companies, which have already proven their prowess in service delivery.

Since India is a sought after location for its highly skilled talent pool for engineering services, skill sharing and joint R&D will be high on her agenda. Germany, known for its engineering and design talent, is looking at the Indian IT talent pool on its next journey of high-end manufacturing based on the Industries 4.0 initiative. Nasscom is already in the forefront of incubating startups across the country as part of its ‘10,000 Startups’ initiative.

There is, however, no news yet whether Merkel's visit will help revival of free trade agreement (FTA) with EU nations. German ambassador, however, hoped to find some solution. Last August, India put off its negotiations for FTA, with the EU, following an import ban imposed by the latter on 700 drugs tested by Hyderabad-based GVK Biosciences.

In a first, Modi-Merkel to address joint cabinet meeting | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

 

[Spectre]

In another of his firsts on diplomatic front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not only have a one-on-one meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she arrives here for a high-profile visit next week but the two will also chair a joint cabinet meeting involving top ministers of both governments. The aim of the join cabinet meeting is to fast-pace programmes and take decisions on haunting issues right away, without consigning them to bureaucratic files.

A high-powered German delegation led by Chancellor Merkel is arriving here on Sunday.The delegation includes six top ministers heading foreign affairs, defence, food and agriculture, education and research, economic cooperation, finance, energy as well as several state ministers and secretaries besides leaders of top German business groups.

Giving details of the visit, German ambassador Martin Ney, while reminding that there were already 1,700 German companies doing business in India, said many more were interested in investing in the country. But, he said, there were still issues like corruption, legal frameworks, matters related to certification and uncertain taxation that hold them back. “Prime Minister Modi's government is tackling these issues. But industry expects more to ease up climate for business,” he said.

Before the joint cabinet meeting, ministers of both sides will hold separate bilateral meetings with their counterparts. “I assure you that they will not just talk, but deliver tangible results,” said the ambassador.

Ney said lots of preparatory work has gone into the Intergovernmental consultations over past several months.

On the second leg of her visit, Merkel along with the Prime Minister Modi will leave for Bangalore on Monday evening to head a joint meeting of business leaders of both countries and meet top executives of Indian start-ups, IT companies and hi-tech engineering research and development (R&D) firms at India’s Silicon Valley at the Nasscom-organised meeting.

Besides addressing 44 German companies which have established R&D centres in India, Merkel will also address Indian IT companies, which have already proven their prowess in service delivery.

Since India is a sought after location for its highly skilled talent pool for engineering services, skill sharing and joint R&D will be high on her agenda. Germany, known for its engineering and design talent, is looking at the Indian IT talent pool on its next journey of high-end manufacturing based on the Industries 4.0 initiative. Nasscom is already in the forefront of incubating startups across the country as part of its ‘10,000 Startups’ initiative.

There is, however, no news yet whether Merkel's visit will help revival of free trade agreement (FTA) with EU nations. German ambassador, however, hoped to find some solution. Last August, India put off its negotiations for FTA, with the EU, following an import ban imposed by the latter on 700 drugs tested by Hyderabad-based GVK Biosciences.

In a first, Modi-Merkel to address joint cabinet meeting | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

Very important meeting - much more so than ones which are optics based. Germany is or soon will be the de-facto power of Europe.

Personally I think India should be courting Germany much more often.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Personally I think India should be courting Germany much more often.

And vice versa.

To be fair, the visit of Modi last year was pretty special (in terms of tangible benefits for both sides).


Interesting to me (as a Brit), Modi has visited France, Ireland, Russia and Germany (multiple times now) but is still yet to visit the UK. I understand the UK had elections this year and I am certain that a visit will take place in the next 18 months but Modi (and his Govt) are clearly not giving much importance to this tiny island in the N.Alantic that too despite a huge NRI/ex-pat community here which would give him a considerable welcome (maybe matching Madison Square Garden).

Most telling.


Expect further mud-slinging by the Guardian, BBC and their ilk.....

 

[SURYA-1]

Very important meeting - much more so than ones which are optics based.

Heads of states don't visit another state just for mere optics. They mean business.And yes with they visit with half of their cabinet, they mean some serious business.

Personally I think India should be courting Germany much more often.

Courtship isn't considered good tool of statecraft. Mutual interest is supreme. It's pure hard real business of give and take.

 

[Spectre]

Heads of states don't visit another state just for mere optics

They do, optics in itself is a powerful tool in diplomacy.

Courtship isn't considered good tool of statecraft. Mutual interest is supreme. It's pure hard real business of give and take.

I agree, relationship best on mutual interest is better and more durable than one based on favors. However my implication of courtship was in a different context. PM of India has many top priority items - What I meant was Germany should rank much higher in his foreign policy to do list. However I concede courting is not the word I should have used.

 

[SURYA-1]

And vice versa.

To be fair, the visit of Modi last year was pretty special (in terms of tangible benefits for both sides).


Interesting to me (as a Brit), Modi has visited France, Ireland, Russia and Germany (multiple times now) but is still yet to visit the UK. I understand the UK had elections this year and I am certain that a visit will take place in the next 18 months but Modi (and his Govt) are clearly not giving much importance to this tiny island in the N.Alantic that too despite a huge NRI/ex-pat community here which would give him a considerable welcome (maybe matching Madison Square Garden).

Most telling.


Expect further mud-slinging by the Guardian, BBC and their ilk.....

Brits are even cozying up to Pakistan. Pakistani COAS is on UK visit as we speak.

And anyway I guess Modi government considers Brits as side kick of US hence they want to deal only with Super Hero , who matters in end.

But I guess Cobham radomes are British made.

 

[Abingdonboy]

And anyway I guess Modi government considers Brits as side kick of US hence they want to deal only with Super Hero , who matters in end.

That made me chuckle mostly because it is not too far from the truth.

But I guess Cobham radomes are British made.

Yes but I don't think that affair has impacted Indo-UK ties at the highest echelons

 

[Spectre]

Most telling.

Indeed, someone is trying is to be over-smart.

 

[SURYA-1]

They do, optics in itself is a powerful tool in diplomacy.

If even mere optics serves some purpose then it can't be mere optics. It's catch 22.

 

[Spectre]

If even mere optics serves some purpose then it can't be mere optics. It's catch 22.

Well said, good catch!

 

[Abingdonboy]

Heads of states don't visit another state just for mere optics.

In my opinion, that is almost the only reason why such visits are made. They are rarely made on the whim of the individual leader but are the culmination of a serious amount of backroom dialogue between officials on both sides. Leaders signal intent at a strategic level, the lower level officials and administrators take on the heavy lifting.

Indeed, someone is trying is to be over-smart.

Care to expand upon this point sir?

 

[Spectre]

Care to expand upon this point sir?

England is upto it's old tricks. Tories were always too ambitious for their own good - could be US behind the strings but I doubt that as US does not need to be so subtle.

Now to the specifics - UK seriously undermined India in Afghanistan. It has a habit of playing both sides - as there is still a condescending misconception among Tories and Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service that India and Pakistan are it's two estranged children who can be manipulated.

 

[SURYA-1]

In my opinion, that is almost the only reason why such visits are made. They are rarely made on the whim of the individual leader but are the culmination of a serious amount of backroom dialogue between officials on both sides. Leaders signal intent at a strategic level, the lower level officials and administrators take on the heavy lifting.

But it signifies that backroom negotiations have yielded something significant at last and it culminates in the form of Head of State's visit.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Now to the specifics - UK seriously undermined India in Afghanistan. It has a habit of playing both sides - as their is still a condescending misconception among Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service that India and Pakistan are it's two estranged children who can be manipulated.

Could you be more specific sir? The UK's hand undermining India in Afghanistan has gone totally unnoticed by myself.

Agreed on your point about the Tories though, but even then Labour was hardly any better as far as Indo-UK ties are concerned. Due to the considerable Pakistani diaspora in the UK, and that too rather more organised than most other groups, the UK government is now always going to have to pander to them. This will inevitably be against India's interests.

 

[Spectre]

The UK's hand undermining India in Afghanistan has gone totally unnoticed by myself.

India suspects British backing of Pak-Afghan intel cooperation - The Times of India

Fits well with the relative rebuffing of UK by India? Ireland visit before UK was as big a snub in diplomacy as it can get.