Gandhinagar, Jan 13 (IANS) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday left for home after concluding his two-day visit to India. Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, and other dignitaries saw him off at Ahmedabad Airport. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz held delegation-level talks at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar and agreed to take the relationship between the two nations to a qualitatively higher level, with deeper cooperation in defence, space and other critical and emerging technologies.

Following their talks, PM Modi, in a post on X, wrote: "It was a pleasure hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. His visit has infused new momentum into India–Germany ties, as we mark 25 years of our Strategic Partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations. India is honoured that he has chosen our nation as the place of his first visit in Asia. This reflects his personal commitment to strong India-Germany relations."

"We agreed to take our relationship to a qualitatively higher level, with deeper cooperation in defence, space and other critical and emerging technologies. Our discussions also covered joint efforts on climate action, trusted and resilient supply chains, skilling, education, sports and strengthening cultural and people-to-people ties," he added.

PM Modi and German Chancellor Merz participated in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront, witnessing the colour, energy and cultural vibrancy of the annual event. Both leaders later joined the celebrations by flying kites, fully immersing themselves in the festivities.

The two leaders also interacted with German and Indian CEOs. PM Modi noted that the bilateral trade between India and Germany has reached an all-time high.

"Chancellor Merz and I met Indian and German CEOs. Close collaboration between India and Germany is important for the entire world. Growing trade and investment ties have infused new momentum into our partnership. Our bilateral trade has reached an all-time high, several German companies are investing in India. We want to deepen economic linkages even further in the times to come," PM Modi posted on X.

India and Germany on Monday signed a slew of agreements across sectors such as trade, technology, health and renewable energy. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two sides concluded 19 agreements and made several policy announcements aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic, economic and people-to-people domains.

PM Modi and Merz welcomed the sustained growth in bilateral trade and investment and noted that bilateral trade reached a record high in 2024, with the positive trend continuing through 2025.

India-Germany bilateral trade in goods and services surpassed $50 billion in 2024, amounting to over 25 per cent of India’s trade with the EU.

According to an official statement, the leaders welcomed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent on strengthening the bilateral economic cooperation through the German-Indian CEO Forum, which will further promote business and industry collaboration, supported by the long-standing presence of German businesses in India and Indian businesses in Germany.

They also welcomed progress in cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, critical minerals, digitalisation, telecommunications, health and the bioeconomy, which consolidates the Innovation and Technology Partnership Roadmap.

They welcomed the strong willingness on both sides to establish an institutional dialogue across the semiconductor value chain through a new Joint Declaration of Intent on Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership.

They underlined the significance of enhanced institutional research and industrial collaboration between the Indian and German semiconductor ecosystems. PM Modi welcomed the opening of the Global Capability Centre (GCC) by German technology enterprise Infineon in GIFT City in March last year.