Billions Pledged for a Green Future (IV)

Strengthening Indo-German ties for Shared Global Responsibility

by Mahak Agrawal and Sayanti Sengupta

At the start of September 2020, the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a 40-page policy document called ‘Germany-Europe-Asia: Shaping the 21st Century Together’ for the Indo-Pacific region. 

Why does this policy document matter? Well, after decades of close diplomatic ties shared between the two nations, the word ‘Indo’ is now a part of German nomenclature, that too at a time when Germany has assumed the 6-month rotating presidency— along with Portugal and Slovenia— of the European Union, aiming to diversify its engagement with nations along the Indian and Pacific oceans. 

When the world is trying to revive national economies, lessen the multifaceted impacts of the global pandemic, the document indicates Germany’s growing interest to diversify and broaden its strategic participation and partnerships in India as well as other nations in Asia. On November 1, 2019, Germany pledged to invest 1+ billion Euros in five key areas for the Indo-German strategic partnership aimed at sustainable growth and a reliable international order. For achieving these five sectoral objectives, sharing global responsibility is pivotal in the two nations’ desire for furthering and strengthening their strategic partnerships. In doing so, the two nations decided to: 

1. Institutionalise the mechanisms for annual held Foreign Office Consultations— between the Foreign Secretary of India and State Secretary General of German Federal Foreign Office 
2. Establish a Track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue to enable open exchange and engagement of key stakeholders annually 
3. Improve information flows via a free press, parliamentarians, and scholars
4. Further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation—encouraging co-development and co-production under the Make in India initiative, adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism or CCIT in March 2020— to jointly address global and regional security issues. 
5. Integrate the SME/MSMEs or Mittelstands of the other country into own supply chains
6. Support efforts aimed towards global non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, disarmament and arms control

Reiterating their commitment to shared global responsibility and shared values of democratic governance, rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and multilateral cooperation to defend them.  

In the end, collaborations for a climate-smart, green future that fits into the long term vision of both India and Germany, through secure investments in sustainable mobility, trade partnerships, start-up ecosystems and optimal labour market regulations, can improve the growth trajectory of both countries in parlance with the post COVID19 economic recovery.