For decades, Germany has been cooperating with India in the military field. But Defense Minister Pistorius said so far too little. He hopes to significantly expand cooperation and make commitments in New Delhi.
In a meeting with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed support for making future arms cooperation in the South Asian nation easier.
Pistorius said in New Delhi that India is one of the most important strategic partners of Germany and Europe in the Indo-Pacific region. “So we have to treat him as such,” and “in action,” he added. Germany and India have cooperated in the military field since the 1980s.
Pistorius strengthens military cooperation
Pistorius advocated bringing relations with India “in line with the treatment of Japan and Australia”. He did not lay out his proposals specifically, but treating India differently was a “relatively logical next step”. This discussion must take place.
Simplified rules apply to arms deals from Japan and Australia because they do not belong to a so-called third-country bloc, but enjoy equal treatment with NATO partners. You can buy from German arms companies without complex approval procedures. However, in case of doubt, the federal government can still lodge an objection.
So far, the Federal Security Council, to which Pistorius belongs, has had to approve arms imports to India alone.
Joint naval exercises planned for 2024
The Union Defense Minister has announced that he will enhance cooperation between all armed forces and India on various defense issues. There will also be joint exercises with the German navy next year.
Pistorius made it clear that negotiations on a multibillion-dollar arms deal involving the delivery of six German-built TKMS submarines to India were progressing. “It could become a flagship project,” he said. India seems to be very interested in submarines, but there are no contracts yet. However, there are other competitors. Representatives of TKMS traveled to India with the delegation.
India wants to be more independent from Russia
Asked whether Germany would buy ammunition from India to transfer to Ukraine as part of closer arms cooperation, Pistorius said that was not a problem. This approach is inconsistent with “India’s largely reserved position on the issue of Russia’s war with Ukraine.”
However, India is working to reduce its dependence on Russian armaments. According to Pistorius, Russian armaments currently account for 60 percent of India’s defense stockpile.
“Fat” talks about “more unity”
Pistorius’ trip is the first visit to India by a German defense minister in eight years. Pistorius said his meeting with Singh took place in a “very relaxed” atmosphere, with “a lot of agreement and very little disagreement”. After the talks, Singh tweeted about the “fruitful” talks and confirmed the planned defense cooperation between India and Germany.
India has one of the largest armies in the world. The military is very important to the country, partly because of very tense relations with neighboring China and Pakistan.
Tomorrow Pistorius travels to the port city of Mumbai. Also visited the shipyard.
A message from Charlotte Horn, ARD, New Delhi