New Delhi (dpa) – Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to treat India as a strategic partner like Australia and Japan and thus make arms cooperation much easier.
«India is an important, if not the most important, strategic partner for Europe as well as for Germany. And that’s why we have to treat it as such,” the SPD politician in New Delhi said after speaking with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. He stated that “it would be better if we find a way to treat India the same way Japan and Australia are treated.” .
Pistorius said it was a “relatively logical next step”. This discussion should take place. If Germany takes its strategic partnership seriously, “it also requires reliable cooperation in the field of arms and military cooperation with strategically reliable partners – and that includes India,” said Pistorius.
He made clear that a multi-billion dollar arms deal involving the delivery of six German-built TKMS submarines to India was progressing. He said: “This could be a flagship project.”
He also spoke with colleagues about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has repercussions for India and every corner of the world. “And India is trying very continuously to significantly and quickly reduce its dependence on Russia for armaments, which is currently still 60 percent,” said Pistorius. Germany’s main trading partner with a volume of 30 billion euros is very important.
