Panaji, Oct 26 (PTI) India and Germany are both democratic countries, good partners and are regionally rooted but globally committed, Rear Admiral Helge Risch of the key European nation’s Navy said on Saturday.
Risch, the commander of the Task Force Group, was talking to reporters on board frigate FGS Baden-Wurttemberg in Vasco in Goa. The German frigate is currently at Mormugao Port in south Goa as a part of its Indo-Pacific deployment which began on May 7.
“We are both democratic countries. We share a lot of values, we share a lot of interests. Both countries are regionally rooted but globally committed. This is the trigger for closer cooperation between India and Germany,” the rear admiral said.
Speaking about the joint naval exercise, he said the aim was to establish friendship and partnership between the two nations and its navies.
“We will see future exercises but I cannot speak about any concrete plans at the moment. Maybe this was something our governments discussed (in New Delhi),” he said in a reference to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the national capital.
Modi met Scholz on Friday and discussed a wide range of issues focused on bolstering bilateral strategic ties. The German chancellor arrived in India on Thursday on a three-day visit.
Rear Admiral Risch said as part of the Indo-Pacific deployment, the German Navy had partnering exercises with several countries in the Americas and Asia.
The German Navy is here because India is one of the biggest democracies in the world and a good partner in the region, he added.
Both have a common aim of making the world a safer place, the German rear admiral said.
The two nations will become even more important partners in the region because “we are committed to the same values”, he emphasised.
“We had some good exercises, first at the Eastern Naval command and then over the last few days at the western coast. The exercises were executed in a very professional manner. I am very impressed with the spirit of the Indian sailors and their professional knowledge,” Risch said. PTI RPS BNM
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