New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Germany’s Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, on Friday welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first official visit to India, highlighting the breadth of discussions held during the trip, including key areas such as defence cooperation, trade, investment and migration. “What a unique visit we just had! Chancellor Merz on his first trip to India. Defence, trade, migration - many topics on our plates. Chancellor Merz was most impressed after a chat in German with a young Indian woman. She started learning the German language only four months ago,” the German Ambassador posted on X.

Earlier this week, German Chancellor Merz arrived in Gujarat for an official visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was Merz's first official visit to India, aimed at enhancing bilateral ties between India and Germany. Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Merz reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation and deepening their military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training, and exchanges of senior officials, while noting with satisfaction regular reciprocal port calls by the naval ships of both countries.

Following their talks, PM Modi wrote on X: "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 welcomed Germany’s intent to participate in Naval Exercise MILAN, and the 9th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs in February 2026, Air Combat Exercise 'Tarang Shakti' in September 2026, and Germany’s decision to deploy a Liaison Officer to the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), according to a joint statement. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at ongoing cooperation between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the Eurodrone MALE UAV programme, which will enable India to collaborate and harness advanced military technology and strengthen its strategic and defence ties with Europe.