January 12, 2026 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits India

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited India this week on his first official trip to India and the South Asian region, marking a significant milestone in India-Germany relations. Building on 75 years of diplomatic ties and 50 years of cooperation in science, research, and higher education, both countries agreed to intensify their strategic partnership further.

Key developments included the signing of an Indo-German Higher Education Roadmap to strengthen institutional cooperation and the announcement of an Indo-German Centre of Excellence on Innovation to support technology transfer and engagement with start-ups. The visit also highlighted continued cooperation in critical and emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, telecommunications, health technologies, bioeconomy, hydrogen, and battery storage, supported through bilateral agreements and joint initiatives.