During his visit to India, Chancellor Scholz calls for a condemnation of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Instead, Prime Minister Modi is promising a peace contribution. Germany is also pursuing economic interests in New Delhi, such as a multi-billion dollar submarine deal.
In the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is ready “to make a contribution to any peace efforts” with a view to the Ukraine war. Since the war began a year ago, India has called for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy, Modi said after a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New Delhi. The German Ambassador in New Delhi, Philipp Ackermann, had stated before the Chancellor’s visit that India could be a suitable candidate for finding a solution to the Ukraine war – but not at the present time.
India takes a neutral stance on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and does not support Western sanctions. The country with the world’s second largest population has good relations with Western countries and with Russia, on which it depends for much of its military equipment. India is also buying more oil from Russia on the grounds that it needs cheap oil for its large and mostly poor population. Germany and other Western countries value the world’s largest democracy, India, as a partner in Asia – also as a counterweight to communist China.
At the beginning of his two-day visit to India, Scholz called on the Indian G20 presidency to clearly name the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. “At the last G20 summit in Bali in November 2022, the G20 sent a strong signal in this regard,” Scholz told the Times of India, alluding to the clear condemnation of the Russian attack under the Indonesian presidency of the world’s most important industrialized countries in the past year. “It will be important to build on that during India’s G20 presidency.” In particular, the G20 must continue to find answers to the global effects of the Russian war of aggression.
The final declaration of the G20 finance ministers threatens to fail due to controversial formulations on the war. With regard to China, Scholz emphasized that Germany wanted to expand its commitment in the Indo-Pacific region. It is no coincidence that as chancellor in April 2022 he was the first person in the region to travel to Japan. Then in May there were government consultations with India. India and Indonesia have been invited as partner countries to the G7 summit in Germany. In November 2022 he finally traveled to Vietnam and Singapore with a large business delegation.
Scholz will also be accompanied by a business delegation on his trip to New Delhi and Bangalore. In addition to energy issues, the topic will be closer armaments cooperation with India. According to information from the Reuters news agency, he wants to promote a multi-billion dollar submarine business. India wants to buy six conventional submarines worth 4.9 billion euros. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is under discussion.
