India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Germany, from 22–24 May 2025, underlined the 25 years of India and Germany’s strategic partnership. His visit within a month of a new government in Germany is reflective of the high priority—and in his words, “high expectations” that India has—both sides attach to bilateral ties. India and Germany need “to forge new ways to this relationship,” said Jaishankar at a high-level think tank dialogue at the German Council on Foreign Relations (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, or DGAP) in Berlin. The Indo-German relationship is shaped in the context of geopolitical realities, international uncertainty and volatility. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, climate change, and damage done by the COVID-19 pandemic still present in many parts of the world, the global picture is challenging. But there are high expectations for India and Germany to broaden and deepen their partnership and address these challenges. That is why the Germany–India partnership, and EU–India partnership with Germany at the centre, is more important than ever before.
Considering the difficult forecast for the German economy in 2025, and the unpredictable global geopolitical landscape, Jaishankar’s visit led to renewed engagement, injecting fresh momentum in the strategic partnership and reaffirming commitment from both sides to further strengthening political, economic, technological and people-to-people ties. Five areas were highlighted where Indo-German collaboration and strategic initiatives can be broadened and deepened for mutual benefit. These include defence and security, talent and mobility, digital technologies and AI, sustainability and trade.
Defence and security
Describing the Indo-German defence and security partnership as a “off and on relationship,” External Affairs Minister Jaishankar suggested that Germany’s conservative government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union party, can take things forward with New Delhi. There is something both countries can offer each other in the areas of naval exercises and enhanced export licensing practices with German defence export. Germany is trying to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific region where 20 per cent of its trade is conducted, and half of Germany’s sea-borne supply traverses the Indian Ocean along with a majority of European sea trade. Germany conducted its second Indo-Pacific deployment in 2024, with the German Navy’s frigate Baden-Württemberg sailing through the Indian Ocean and joining naval exercises with India, and other partners. The aims were twofold: to keep trade routes open, and to counterbalance China’s presence and sometimes aggressive behaviour in sea lanes vital for global trade.
