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In a delegation-level meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Wadephul expressed Germany’s strong support for the agreement
The FTA negotiations between the two sides are expected to conclude in 2025. (ANI)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has reiterated his nation’s dedication to swiftly finalising the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union.
In a delegation-level meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Wadephul expressed Germany’s strong support for the agreement and its intent to leverage its influence with the European Commission to expedite the process.
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“Germany is fully committed to advancing this agreement as quickly as possible,” Wadephul said. “As a free trade nation, the EU’s work on the agreement with India is of utmost importance to us. I truly hope for a successful outcome.” He emphasised that Germany would employ all its persuasive arguments with the Commission to push the FTA forward and strengthen relations between Germany, the EU, and India.
“You can be confident that we will use all our arguments with the Commission to promote this and achieve a higher level of cooperation between our countries and between the EU and India,” he added.
On Tuesday, Wadephul visited Bangalore and was impressed by the number of students learning German. “It was very interesting to spend an entire day in Bangalore and observe our collaborative efforts, both economically and culturally,” he said. “I was astonished by the number of students learning German, which highlights the significant potential for our countries.”
Earlier in the day, Wadephul arrived in New Delhi after his engagement in Bengaluru during his two-day official visit to India.
The German Foreign Minister met with Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, which the German Ambassador to India, Phillip Ackermann, described as a productive discussion on strengthening trade, investment, and innovation ties.
“German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul meeting with Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal. Productive discussions on strengthening trade, investment, & innovation ties,” Ackermann said in a post on X.
Earlier, Piyush Goyal said that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and the European Union are in an advanced stage, as the two sides are making significant progress.
Speaking to reporters in the national capital, Goyal said, “We have reached a very advanced stage in our FTA with the European Union. The Commerce Secretary, as we speak, is in a meeting in Brussels with his counterpart, the DG of the EU. Their team is coming down later this week and will be in active negotiation with us. Minister of Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic (European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security) is coming down on the 12th of this month, and we are making very active and significant progress.”
The FTA negotiations between the two sides are expected to conclude in 2025. Last month, India stated that the two sides engaged in a forward-looking and substantive dialogue to address global trade challenges and reaffirmed their shared resolve to conclude the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2025.
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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