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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) at the monument to Mahatma Gandhi during her visit to New Delhi
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MONEY SHARMA / AFP
With the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries around the world took a demonstrative stand against the Kremlin and imposed tough sanctions on Russia.
India is one of the few exceptions: The country with around 1.4 billion inhabitants does not support the western sanctions.
It abstained from United Nations resolutions on the war in Ukraine.
Against the background of the Russian attack, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has now campaigned for India as a close ally and value partner during a trip to New Delhi.
India is currently not only assuming the G20 presidency, but also global responsibility, she said after a meeting with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The Russian war against Ukraine also poses enormous challenges for India.
She underlined that India intends to prioritize climate protection during its G20 presidency.
Nuclear power India took over the presidency of the G20 group of leading industrialized and emerging countries on Thursday.
Baerbock and Jaishankar agreed on a stronger partnership.
Joint agreements agreed
Among other things, both signed a mobility agreement that aims to make it easier for people from both countries to study, research and work in the other country.
Baerbock said the agreement will also significantly reduce waiting times for visa applications.
Germany wants highly qualified specialists to be able to come to Germany more easily.
Jaishankar spoke of a strong signal for a state-of-the-art partnership.
Bilateral relations are extensive and deep - but more can be achieved.
Germany and India also want to further expand cooperation on the accelerated energy transition away from coal, oil and gas, as Baerbock said.
Germany stands by India as a partner for more climate protection and renewable energy.
Indo-German cooperation in the area of security policy should also be strengthened in the Indo-Pacific region - especially in the area of climate policy.
In connection with China, Baerbock emphasized that the country had changed significantly in recent years.
That is why the exchange with direct neighbors like India is so important.
There is great potential for cooperation with India in particular.
However, India is not a substitute partner, said Baerbock when asked about China – Germany has long shared a partnership of values with India.
mrc/dpa