Focus is on deepening economic, environmental, and academic cooperation: German Envoy

Focus is on deepening economic, environmental, and academic cooperation: German Envoy

Focus is on deepening economic, environmental, and academic cooperation: German Envoy PTI | Jun 11, 2025 10:14 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Focus is on deepening economic, environmental, and academic cooperation: German Envoy

Ranchi, India-German relations are at an all-time high, with both countries committed to deepening cooperation across key sectors including economic development, environmental sustainability, and academic exchange, German Ambassador to India Dr Philipp Ackermann said on Wednesday.

Focus is on deepening economic, environmental, and academic cooperation: German Envoy

Ackermann was on his maiden visit to Ranchi where he met Chief Minister Hemant Soren and later participated in an Indo-German Dialogue on Coal Mines in Jharkhand which houses about 40 per cent of the country's minerals.

"Indo-German relations are at an all-time high. We are very good together. We have fantastic cooperation on many levels - economic, environmental, and academic. There is still room for improvement, but we've come a long way," the German Ambassador told PTI.

Over 50,000 Indian students are currently in Germany pursuing higher studies and the numbers are expected to rise.

"On academic levels, we are very very close right now. I am very happy, privileged and honoured with partnership," he said.

The envoy said that ties will be deepened in sustainable green energy, economy, trade and other areas.

Ackermann said his meeting with Soren was successful.

"The chief minister is very well versed with the situation. The communities of Jharkhand will benefit from ties," he said.

The envoy said Soern intends to travel to Germany to learn about the coal industry in that country.

The ambassador said that while it is clear that his country cannot be a model for India, Germany, with its history of phasing out coal, is ready to share lessons learnt.

Addressing the Green and Sustainable Development , Conversation Series concluded in Ranchi, he noted, "I'm very happy, privileged, and honoured that Germany, with our experience, can be a partner in this conversation of Just Transition. Coal is not a wave on which we can surf endlessly-at some stage it comes to an end."

He questioned what was the alternative for coal mines whether they were state-run or privately run.

The high-level dialogue brought together senior officials from the Government of Jharkhand, the German Embassy, the European Union, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, alongside civil society leaders and development practitioners.

The event focused on sustainable and inclusive strategies for the repurposing of coal mines and economic diversification in coal-dependent communities.

Discussions emphasised that Just Transition is not only an environmental imperative but a socio-economic opportunity to create resilient livelihoods, empower women and youth, and build forward-looking local economies.

Earlier, Ackermann made a field visit to a Tata Steel-operated coal mine and a local women's cooperative.