German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh signed a 10-point plan on Wednesday aimed at deepening cooperation in the defence industry and promoting the defence sector.
The two visited submarine builder TKMS in the northern port city of Kiel along with an Indian delegation, where the ministers inspected a Class 212A submarine.
Pistorius emphasized that the signing of the plan would take defence industry cooperation “to the next level.”
He spoke of “a partnership of equals.” In this way, Germany and India could benefit mutually, both industrially and in terms of their armed forces.
India also plans to build six submarines worth €8 billion ($9.4 billion) in Mumbai in partnership with the German company TKMS.
The two countries are each working domestically to make the deal possible, Pistorius told reporters in Kiel. “I am very confident that we will be able to sign the agreement soon.” He expects a result within the next three months.
According to the latest statistics from the peace research institute SIPRI, India is considered the world’s largest importer of arms.
Between 2019 and 2023, however, the country still sourced 36% of its arms from Russia – even though that trend is declining.
German arms exports to India could therefore also reduce dependence on Russia.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (L) welcomes his Indian counterpart Shri Rajnath Singh with military honors at the German Ministry of Defence in Berlin. Kay Nietfeld/dpa