India, Germany are made for each other, yes. But they must now make for each other too
The warm and ambitious India-Germany outreach which was witnessed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Berlin may on the face appear to be just an extension of Modi's ramped-up engagement with the West. But there is more to it than meets the eye. The Indian Prime Minister's trip to Germany, his interaction with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the slew of agreements signed, have come at a time when Germany is facing issues with the US and the UK — the first as a result of the US President's revamp of his country's European Union policy and the second following Britain's exit from the European Union. Clearly, Germany finds a greater level of interaction in diverse sectors with India as a way to signal to the US that it will seek its own path. From the Indian perspective, this is not a bad development, though New Delhi would not want to get involved in the US-Germany spat and would want to independently enhance bilateral cooperation with the US. And yet, the 12 pacts inked during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Germany does indicate New Delhi's interest in engaging the non-US West more robustly. Besides, India under Modi is looking to rectify an old problem — that of New Delhi's below-potential trade and other interactions with the European Union (EU). Germany is arguably the strongest, at least in terms of economic issues, among the EU member states, and a natural leader.
It is not a coincidence that Prime Minister Modi's foreign itinerary includes European countries such as France and Spain. There is a pattern here. Besides enormous scope in economic cooperation and coordination in anti-terrorism measures, these European nations have backed India's claim for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group as well as for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Here, both Germany and India have pledged support to each other for the permanent membership.
While the India-Germany Inter-governmental Consultations (IGC) have happened before, the mechanism has acquired a new meaning in light of the changed global order. New chapters in trade, skill development and cyber security should hopefully be written following the Prime Minister's visit. As to terrorism, a greater level of cooperation is natural because, like India, the West too has been hit by terrorist acts all too frequently. like India, Germany is ruled by a strong and decisive leader who does not mince words. At the same time, the West, especially the European Union, has had some issues with India's policy on free trade. There is disquiet that New Delhi is holding away from the merits of a free trade agreement. It's true that New Delhi has yet not committed itself to the sort of free trade with the terms that the European Union is desirous of, but India has to factor in domestic considerations as well. It would be foolhardy to hastily commit to laissez-faire approach and then seek avenues to back off at leisure. Even so, Indian and EU negotiators are likely to meet in a few months from now to take the free trade agreement process forward. There is no reason why this contentious issue cannot be resolved sooner than later.