Berlin, Aug 31 (IANS) Germany’s Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart, Bhupender Yadav, to open the 4th Indo-German Environment Forum under the theme “Together For More Resilience” in New Delhi as he embarks on a four-day visit to India.
He will also meet other government representatives to discuss environmental and climate issues.
The Forum is the German Environment Ministry’s main bilateral format with the Indian Environment Ministry and is organised with business associations, according to a statement from Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Natural Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
This year’s Forum will focus on circular economy, biodiversity, climate action and adaptation, clean technology and sustainable finance. For his visit to India, Schneider is accompanied by a high-level business delegation.
In a statement, Schneider said, “India is increasingly important as a trading partner for Germany and the EU and vital for resilient supply chains. But India is also a key partner for Germany in tackling global environmental and climate challenges. With the Environment Forum, we are strengthening our partnership and advancing our joint interests. This is particularly true for the energy transition.”
“India is experiencing a renewable energy boom and can supply the public with inexpensive electricity. Germany is benefiting from this boom too, as German companies are leaders in the field of clean tech,” he further stated.
The Indo-German Environment Forum is the highest-level bilateral format of the two countries in environmental policy and has been held regularly since 2008. The forum is jointly organised by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, together with the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) and Indian business associations.
During this year’s forum, participants will discuss sustainable technologies, biodiversity, sustainable finance, resource efficiency, circular economy and investment mobilisation.
“India is the world’s largest location of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK). There are around 2,000 German companies with subsidiaries in India, some 700 of them producing locally,” Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Natural Conservation and Nuclear Safety mentioned in a statement.
Germany is one of India’s most important partners in Europe. India was among the first nations to establish diplomatic ties with Germany after the Second World War.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, according to the Indian Embassy in Germany’s statement.
The strategic partnership is based on the Agenda for the Indo-German Partnership in the 21st Century, which was adopted in May 2000 and updated by further joint declarations, such as the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement of 2022.
The Strategic Partnership between India and Germany has been further strengthened with the launch of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) in 2011, at the level of Heads of Government (HoG).
–IANS
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