German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees India as a partner for development of Clean Energy Technologies

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has held talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his India visit from 22 to 25 March 2018. Their talks underlined how Germany and India could work together in developing new clean energy technologies.

"Our bilateral cooperation must look at how we can contribute to global issues, for example when it comes to protecting the environment," Steinmeier said. The German president's remarks were echoed by the Indian Foreign Ministry, which said in a statement: "India's current priorities in most areas match with German expertise, such as renewable energy, skills development, water and waste management, cleaning of rivers, railways, etc. These could be synergized for tangible, result-oriented outcomes."

India has made its desire to move ever faster towards renewable energy sources well-known. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President Emmanuel Macron kick-started the International Solar Alliance (ISA) during a summit in New Delhi. Some 120 nations have signed up to the Indo-French-led initiative with the shared ambition of reducing costs of solar energy and future environmental technologies.

Germany was "heavily invested in India," Steinmeier told reporters as he arrived, but added that "there is still a huge potential and we should give new dynamics in trade between Germany and India, developing technology and communication between Germany and India. Worth special mention is our trailblazing cooperation on renewable energies, in particular in the field of solar technology." Following talks with Modi and Indian officials, Steinmeier called on the German government back in Berlin to deepen ties with India. He also signaled that India would serve as a key partner on the international stage.

IN