India-Germany Cooperation

Germany is the economic powerhouse of Europe. It has great skills in engineering and manufacturing, including precision manufacturing, innovation and design. It does not have digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies that are comparable to those in the US but it has not lagged behind in using processes that rely on advanced digital technologies in its engineering and manufacturing sectors. That has led Germany to be in the first rank of the world’s developed countries. It has much to offer to India as this country proceeds towards a developed status.

Both countries are now determined to meaningfully cooperate with each other to advance mutual interests. India looks to German technology and manufacturing prowess and Germany is interested in the Indian market. As a country with an aging population, Germany also wants skilled Indians to fill the gaps which necessarily arise as the number of older persons increase in any country. The recent visit of the German Foreign Minister, Dr Johann David Wadephul to India well illustrated the interest of both countries of further their 25-year-old strategic partnership.

The Second World War led to the partition of Germany. West Germany was in the Western camp while East Germany came under the sway of the Soviet Union. In order to prevent communism from spreading in Europe, the US decided to aid the countries of western Europe to recover from the war. It extended massive aid under the Marshall plan. Consequently, West Germany, with its capital in Bonn, began to regain its industrialized status quickly while East Germany lagged behind. In order to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany, the Soviets erected the Berlin Wall in 1961. Berlin, the traditional capital of Germany was divided into four sectors. The Berlin Wall became one of the great symbols of the Cold War.

In the late 1980s, the Soviet leadership under President Gorbachev began to increasingly realize that the country had fallen far behind the West in prosperity and technologically. Gorbachev undertook reform and tried to open up a failing system. It was too late. Consequently, there was great restlessness in the countries of Central Europe and in East Germany. They wanted to get rid of the Soviet yoke. At that time the foremost European issue became the unification of Germany. The German people indicated their preference by bringing down the Berlin Wall in November 1989.

These events are relevant, at this time, because, the present Russian leadership believes, with credible cause, that the Soviets had reached an understanding with the US and major European powers that the unification of Germany would not lead to the eastward expansion of NATO. This is because it was widely understood that German unification would lead to the breakup of the Warsaw Pact. Germany was united in November 1990. That paved the way for the dissolution of Warsaw Pact in July 1991. In December 1991 the Soviet Union itself was dissolved. The Cold War was over. The US had emerged victorious but it did adhere to the understanding on NATO expansion. The Russians kept warning the West against this process and in 2022 Putin feared that attempts would be made to merge Ukraine into NATO. That led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It cannot be justified but it is important to understand its cause.

The period of the Cold War imposed limitations on India-German cooperation though there was goodwill towards each other in both countries. The end of the War and the opening up of the Indian economy lifted the barriers but progress in building in a comprehensive cooperative relationship has been slow. There is now an eagerness to deepen ties. One present issue on which both countries do not see eye to eye in that of Ukraine.

Currently, both India and Germany want the end of the Ukraine war. However, India has gone only so far as to tell Russia that its issues with or over Ukraine should be settled diplomatically while Germany is actively assisting Ukraine in its war effort against Russia. Germany was greatly dependent on Russian energy. It has reduced its energy imports from Russia. On the other hand, India has become one of the major buyers of Russian oil. Both countries are not allowing their different approaches on Ukraine related issues to impede their mutual cooperation.

Following his meeting with Wadephul, Jaishankar said “we have had detailed discussions on various aspects of our ties. This includes our political cooperation, security and defence, economic relations, research and future technologies, climate and energy as well as education, skilling, mobility and people-to-people exchanges”. Elaborating these points Jaishankar especially thanked Germany for its understanding of India’s concerns relating to terrorism. He stated “we greatly value the understanding that Germany has shown with regard to India’s fight against terrorism. Minister Wadephul has himself been explicit about our right to defend our people against terrorist attacks. Our Parliamentary delegation that visited Germany in June after Operation Sindoor was also warmly received”.

Jaishankar also emphasised the potential to increase bilateral trade, expand ties in the defence and security sectors, semi-conductor manufacturing. He also stressed “on climate and energy, we have been working for the last few years on what’s called the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership. Now, some of you would be aware that projects under this have included the Nagpur Metro Rail, green energy corridors in five states and the integrated water transport project in Kochi. Our discussions today also covered green hydrogen, green energy financing and bio-fuels”.

The path to India-Germany mutually beneficial cooperation is clear. The present practical approach of not allowing differences on Ukraine connected issues should continue.