External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today called for greater defence cooperation between India and Germany and urged the European nation to ease export controls. Addressing the Annual Ambassadors’ Conference of the German Foreign Office in Berlin, Dr Jaishankar said defence cooperation must be given greater thought, especially as the Indian private sector expands in that domain.

He expressed satisfaction that the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership with Germany is making steady progress. He highlighted that both nations have concluded 38 agreements to the tune of 3.22 billion Euros. He added that this underlines the potential in this area, especially for green hydrogen and green ammonia.

The External Affairs Minister said Germany should take a greater interest in the Indo-Pacific, just as India seeks to do in the Euro-Atlantic. He pointed out that when it comes to international peace and stability, those with shared values and convergent interests must collaborate in defence and security.

He highlighted AI, electric mobility, green hydrogen, space and semiconductors, as areas for collaboration.

To a question, Dr Jaishankar said India is not closed to business from China, but the terms of doing business with Beijing are the main issue. He said the matter is complicated and not black and white.