Germany becomes first EU country to acknowledge India’s position

The recently concluded G20 Bali summit is being hailed as one of the most successful congregations of regional heavyweights in recent times. The concluding declaration included in word and spirit Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phrase “today’s era must not be of war” which is being hailed as one of the strongest messages of maintaining peace and harmony in the world.

From December 1, India will officially assume the presidency of the G20 at one of the most complicated political and strategic developments in modern times.

German Ambassador Dr Phillip Ackermann is one of the first diplomats from the European block to give his reactions of the G20 summit applauding India’s position at the three-day summit in Bali. Praising India’s contribution in the drafting of the declaration, Dr Ackermann in an exclusive interaction with Financial Express Online, New Delhi, said, “Without India, this statement would not have been possible. And that’s for us a very satisfying moment of this because the Indian side has accepted it and has supported the same as us. And that’s very, I think a very good sign”.

“And of course, the Indonesians have been very nervous whether a statement would be possible at all. And we felt that the Indonesian President did a very good job. And that this statement comes out as it stands right now. And it is a very good sign, because what we see is that the world is more and more becoming aware that this war is harmful to each and everyone else,” the German envoy added.

The Communiqué

The Communiqué which was adopted by the G20 Leaders earlier this week echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in September — ‘today’s era is not of war’. This was related to the point of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Before the communiqué was adopted, there were several rounds of discussions between the diplomats of G20 over the formulation of the text relating to the conflict. Both China and Russia are members of the grouping which functions on the principle of consensus.

In Bali

On the sidelines of the recently concluded two days G20 Leaders Summit in Bali, PM Modi had met with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz. This, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was the third meeting between the two leaders in 2022. The previous two meetings took place when PM Modi had visited Berlin in May for the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, and then during the visit to Schloss Elmau in Germany. India was the partner country for the G7 Summit and PM Modi was there at Chancellor Scholz’s invitation.

The focus of talks between the two leaders during the meeting was related to the bilateral cooperation between India and Germany – it has entered a new phase following the signing of the Partnership on Green and Sustainable Development during the IGC earlier this year. Both leaders also agreed during talks to further enhance trade and investment ties and also strengthen cooperation in defence and security, infrastructure, mobility and migration.

The two countries have also agreed to further enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral forums including G20 and the UN.