Germany promises more visas for Indians as Modi hosts Scholz

NEW DELHI – Germany promised to dramatically boost the number of skilled Indians it permits to work in the country as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New Delhi on Oct 25.

The German leader is on his third visit to India since 2023, bringing several Cabinet ministers for discussions between the leaders of the world’s third- and fifth-largest economies.

His administration agreed to increase the number of visas granted annually to skilled Indian workers to 90,000, up from 20,000.

“The message is that Germany is open for skilled workers,” Mr Scholz said.

Mr Modi hailed the agreement as an economic boon to both countries.

“When India’s dynamics and Germany’s precision meet, when Germany’s engineering and India’s innovation meet... a better future is decided for the Indo-Pacific and the entire world,” he said.

India and Germany first signed a migration agreement two years ago to facilitate the mobility of professionals and students.

Berlin has also pledged to make its visa application process less bureaucratic and improve the recognition of Indian professional qualifications in Germany.

Mr Scholz arrived in India late on Oct 24, following a state visit in February 2023 and the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi later that year.

India’s Foreign Ministry said this week that the partnership between both countries had “deepened” over the years.

Germany and India are defence partners, and naval forces from both sides undertook a “maritime partnership exercise” earlier this week in the Indian Ocean.

The maiden exercise was aimed at “further strengthening the maritime connect between the two nations and interoperability between the navies”, a statement from India’s navy read on Oct 24.

‘More cooperation’

“We also want to deepen our cooperation on defence and agree to bring our militaries closer together,” Mr Scholz said. “Our overall message is clear: We need more cooperation, not less.”

But the two countries diverge over ties with Russia.

While Germany strongly backs Ukraine, Mr Modi this week attended a Brics summit where he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In contrast to Germany, Mr Modi’s government has maintained its longstanding ties with Moscow even as it courts closer security partnerships with its Western allies.

During Mr Scholz’s visit, another topic discussed was India’s ambitious programme to scale up production of “green hydrogen”, a clean energy source in demand in Germany as Russian oil and gas supplies have shrunk and Berlin seeks to meet its climate goals.

Representatives of both countries agreed on a bilateral Green Hydrogen Road Map on Oct 25, the details of which have yet to be published.

Mr Scholz and his team are expected to travel to India’s Goa state on Oct 26 to inspect naval vessels before returning to Germany in the evening. AFP