German chancellor expected to visit India later this year: Envoy Philipp Ackermann

By Vishu Adhana
New Delhi (India) May 27 : German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and a big part of his cabinet are likely to travel to India for intergovernmental consultation in the second half of 2024, said German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann on Monday.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of an event, Ackermann said that the visit will help in preparing a roadmap for ties between the two nations.
When asked about any upcoming visit by the German Chancellor or ministers, the envoy said: "We have to wait for the new government... In the second half of this year, we will have inter-governmental consultations in Delhi so the Chancellor and a big part of his cabinet will travel to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister...Sit together and try to figure out the roadmap for Indo-German relations in the coming years and I am looking forward to that."
The German ambassador also lauded India's electoral process, terming it a fantastic exercise and said the participation of voters is unbelievable.
General elections are being held in India from April 19 to June 1 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on June 4.
When asked whether he got a chance to go on the ground and see democracy in action, Ackermann said that his team travelled across India.
"My team did all across India from Kashmir to Bangalore...It is a fantastic exercise...970 million voters, the logistical aspect alone is a masterpiece. We are looking forward to the 4th of June," Ackermann said.
"...And I think it's a fantastic event. That's something that even in such a big country like India, you can organize so soundly and meticulously elections. And participation is unbelievable," he added.
The German ambassador was speaking on the sidelines of a screening of a short film on wetlands.
When asked how the two countries can work together on climate change, the ambassador said Germany and India have a sound partnership to tackle climate change.
"With India, we are trying to develop wetlands. They are important in to fight against climate change. This is an enormous success story. We started 6-7 years ago. we started with 25 wetlands in India and now we are 80. It is a fantastic success story. We are very proud to be part of it," he said.
Notably, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had visited India twice last year. It was in February 2023 that Scholz visited India. It was the first standalone visit by any German Chancellor since the commencement of the Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism between the two nations in 2011, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
He later came in September the same year to attend the G20 Summit under India's presidency.