German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Gujarat on Monday on an official visit to India, following an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his first trip to the country in his current role.

The visit is aimed at deepening the already robust partnership between India and Germany. Chancellor Merz was received at the Ahmedabad airport by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat.

Welcoming the German leader, the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the significance of the visit, noting on social media platform X that India and Germany are commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations and 25 years of their Strategic Partnership. The MEA added that Chancellor Merz’s discussions with Prime Minister Modi are expected to further consolidate bilateral cooperation.

During his visit, Chancellor Merz will hold formal talks with PM Modi in Ahmedabad. Both leaders will also jointly attend the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront, reflecting the cultural dimension of the visit.

Subsequently, the two sides will engage in detailed bilateral discussions at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PMO said that the leaders will take stock of progress under the India-Germany Strategic Partnership and explore ways to expand collaboration across a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, technology, education, skills development and mobility. The talks will also cover enhanced cooperation in defence and security, science and research, innovation, green energy, sustainable development, and people-to-people exchanges.

In addition to bilateral matters, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz are expected to exchange views on key regional and global developments and interact with leading business and industry representatives from both countries.

Ahead of the visit, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to discuss bilateral defence and security cooperation. The discussions included potential areas for joint development and production of defence equipment, the Ministry of Defence said in a social media post.

Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz had earlier met in November on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, where the Prime Minister described India-Germany ties as strong and steadily expanding across critical areas such as trade, technology and innovation.