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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has landed in New Delhi, India, for a two-day visit that is likely to push trade ties closer. PM Modi is hoping to gain investments from Germany during the India visit October 4-6. Late Sunday i.e. on 4 October 2015, Angela Merkel landed in New Delhi with trade on the agenda.

Merkel arrived with a delegation that includes Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and few German business leaders. This is the first visit of the German Chancellor since the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party began to for the government last year.

As a welcome to the German Chancellor, PM Modi tweeted, "Namaste Chancellor Merkel! Warm welcome to you & the delegation. I look forward to fruitful discussions & strengthening India-Germany ties.”

Merkel and Modi would meet for the Third Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) on Monday along with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. Later she will head to Bangalore, known as southern technology hub, for a business conference the next day.

Talks between Merkel and Modi

According to the Indian foreign ministry, the talks between Merkel and Modi could include issues, related to mutual inteterest, which include defence, trade and renewable energy. It is likely that both the delegates would resume talks that held up India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. It is considered as a market-opening pact to improve bilateral commerce. German investments in India are at €9.7 billion with nearly 1,600 companies.

In April, Modi made an official visit to Germany. It was then he sought to draw more industries to make investments in India, the third-largest economy of Asia. It was a part of Modi’s Make in India campaign.

Since 2001, Germany and India are strategic partners. The seventh largest investor in India, Germany is the largest trading partner for India in the European Union.

-Sumana