Germany
Norway, Germany provide missiles to Ukraine
A Hercules C130 transport aircraft with some 2,000 anti-tank missiles for Ukraine has taken off from Norway.
The weapons are to help Ukrainian forces resist Russia’s invasion, which began last week.
Norway’s national news agency NTB said the shipment was being sent from Oslo on Thursday to a third country before being transported to Ukraine.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine War: What to know on Day 8 of Russian assault
Also Thursday, Germany’s economy ministry approved sending 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, the dpa news agency said.
The agency quoted unnamed Economy Ministry officials saying the weapons are Soviet-made, shoulder-fired Strela surface-to-air missiles left over from East German army supplies.
Germany reversed its previous refusal to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons last week, following Russia’s attack.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine War: Vaccine manufacturer braces for complications
Germany boosts defense budget above 2% of GDP
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany is committing 100 billion euros ($112.7 billion) to a special fund for its armed forces, raising its defense spending above 2% of its GDP.
Also read: NATO leaders meet to reassure allies near Russia, Ukraine
Scholz told a special session of the Bundestag in Berlin on Sunday that it was clear “we need to invest significantly more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy.”
Germany had come under criticism for not investing adequately in its defense budget and not doing enough to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Also read: Biden hits Russia with sanctions, shifts troops to Germany
On Saturday evening, the German government announced it would be sending weapons and other supplies directly to Ukraine to help troops against invading Russia forces.
Biden hits Russia with sanctions, shifts troops to Germany
President Joe Biden hit back Thursday against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unleashing robust new sanctions, ordering the deployment of thousands of additional troops to NATO ally Germany and declaring that America would stand up to Russia's Vladimir Putin.
He also acknowledged that the invasion — and efforts to thwart Putin — will have a cost for Americans. But he sought to reassure the public that the economic pain that may come with rising energy prices will be short-lived in the U.S.
As for the Russian president, Biden said: “He’s going to test the resolve of the West to see if we stay together. And we will.”
Also read: Biden, Putin signal bigger confrontation ahead over Ukraine
Targeting Russia's financial system, Biden said, the United States will block assets of large Russian banks, i mpose export controls aimed at the nation's high-tech needs and sanction its business oligarchs.
The president said the U.S. also will be deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO after the invasion of Ukraine, which is not a member of the defense organization. Some 7,000 additional U.S. troops will be sent.
Some U.S. lawmakers — and Ukrainian officials — called on Biden to do more.
“There is more that we can and should do,” said Sen Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, pointing to the possibility of removing Russian banks from the SWIFT international banking system and sanctioning Putin personally. “Congress and the Biden administration must not shy away from any options.”
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressed support Thursday for Biden's latest moves but also urged Biden to apply maximum pressure on Putin. McConnell said the top four congressional leaders in the House and Senate received a classified briefing from the president late Thursday.
“We’re all together at this point and we need to be together about what should be done,” McConnell said. “But I have some advice: Ratchet the sanctions all the way up. Don’t hold any back.”
White House deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh stressed that the Biden administration valued closed coordination with allies and avoiding even the perception of hurting ordinary Russian citizens as they roll out sanctions. He declined to detail a circumstance in which Biden might approve cutting the Russians off from SWIFT or target Putin directly.
Also read: ‘Thugs and bullies’: Nations sanction Russia over Ukraine
“When we consider which sanctions to apply, we’re not cowboys and cowgirls pressing a button to impose costs,” Singh said. “We follow a set of principles. We want the sanctions to be impactful enough to demonstrate our resolve, and to show that we have the capacity to deliver overwhelming costs to Russia.”
Biden declared that Putin, who has referred to the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the past century, is looking beyond Ukraine.
“He has much larger ambitions,” Biden said. “He wants to, in fact, reestablish the former Soviet Union. That’s what this is about.”
The penalties announced Thursday fall in line with the White House’s insistence that it would hit Russia’s financial system and Putin's inner circle, while also imposing export controls that would aim to starve Russia’s industries and military of U.S. semiconductors and other high-tech products.
“Putin is the aggressor,” Biden said. “Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences."
But Biden, for now, held off imposing some of the most severe potential sanctions, including cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system, which allows for the transfers of money from bank to bank around the globe.
Biden announced the sanctions at the White House while Ukraine’s government reported mounting casualties inflicted by Russian forces attacking from the east, north and south.
Oil and natural prices have already surged over concerns that Russia — an energy production behemoth — will slow the flow of oil and natural gas to Europe. Biden, however, acknowledged the sanctions are “going to take time” to have their effect on the Russian economy.
Biden added that after Russia’s “brutal assault” against Ukraine it would be a mistake to allow Putin's actions to go unanswered. He said if they did, “the consequences for America would be much worse.”
“America stands up to bullies, we stand up for freedom,” Biden said. “This is who we are.”
Biden spoke hours after holding a virtual meeting with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also joined the meeting.
The president also met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room as he looked to flesh out U.S. moves in the rapidly escalating crisis.
While Biden described the sanctions as severe, Ukrainian officials urged the U.S. and West to go further.
“We demand the disconnection of Russia from SWIFT, the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and other effective steps to stop the aggressor,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet.
The Biden administration, however, has shown some reluctance to cut Russia from SWIFT, at least immediately, because of concerns the move could also have enormous ramifications for Europe and other Western economies. Biden, answering questions from reporters, appeared to push a decision on SWIFT to European allies.
“It is always an option but right now that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take,” Biden said. He also contended that the financial sanctions he announced would be more damaging to Russia.
The Belgium-headquartered system allows for tens of millions of transactions daily among banks, financial exchanges and other institutions. The U.S. notably has previously blocked Iran from the system because of its nuclear program.
Officials in Europe have noted that the loss of SWIFT access by Russia could be a drag on the broader global economy. Russia has also equated a SWIFT ban to a declaration of war. And because the system cements the importance of the U.S. dollar in global finance, outright bans also carry the risk of pushing countries to use alternatives through the Chinese government or blockchain-based technologies.
Brian Frey, a former Justice Department prosecutor during the Trump administration, said while SWIFT is the primary messaging system for financial payments, “there are alternatives to the system” and cutting Russia off would create a “splashback and immediate problems for the international community.”
The sanctions include targeting Russia’s two largest banks, Sberbank and VTB Bank. The U.S. Treasury Department says the sanctions overall “target nearly 80% of all banking assets in Russia and will have a deep and long-lasting effect on the Russian economy and financial system.”
Individuals close to Putin were also targeted in the latest sanctions. They include former chief of staff Sergei Ivanov; Andrey Patrushev, a Putin ally who has held high-ranking positions at the state-owned Gazprom Neft; and former Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, chairman of the management board of the oil company Rosneft.
Treasury also announced sanctions against Belarusian banks, the country's defense industry and security officials over support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biden said the export control measures he ordered would "impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.” The measures will restrict Russia access to semiconductors, computers, telecommunications, information security equipment, lasers and sensors.
“We’re going to impair their ability to compete in a high-tech 21st century economy," Biden said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s second-ranking diplomat in Washington, Minister Counselor Sergey Trepelkov, was expelled in retaliation for the Russian expulsion of the No. 2 U.S. diplomat in Moscow earlier this month, a senior State Department official said Thursday.
The expulsion was unrelated to the invasion and is part of a long-running dispute between Washington and Moscow over embassy staffing, the official said.
Geopolitics may stand in the way of climate finance deal, warns Momen, as the Munich Security Conference returns
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has reiterated the need for global partnership to mobilize financing and technologies towards climate action and green transition.
He was speaking at a panel discussion on tackling climate crisis during the "58th Munich Security Conference" that began in Germany on Friday.
The conference being held at the usual venue in Munich will continue till February 20.
Speaking at the opening session of the conference Dr Momen wondered if the international commitment for climate financing could be affected due to geopolitical tensions, including Ukraine situation.
The Foreign Minister is scheduled to visit Paris, France from Germany.
Read:Shimla dialogue: Dhaka reiterates firm commitment to ensuring regional peace
The MSC 2022 remains true to its traditional formats but welcomed fewer guests and media representatives as well as smaller delegations to ensure the health and safety of its participants and the Munich public, according to the organizers.
"Our world is in danger. Traditional certainties are crumbling, threats and vulnerabilities are multiplying, and the rules-based order is increasingly under attack. The need for dialogue has never been greater,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of Munich Security Conference.
Dr Momen is scheduled to leave Munich for Paris on February 21 and attend "Ministerial Forum” for the cooperation in the Indo Pacific to be held there on February 22.
The French government has invited a host of foreign ministers from across Asia, the Pacific and East Africa to its capital on February 22 for the meeting with their European counterparts and top European Union officials.
Read:Shimla dialogue: Dhaka reiterates firm commitment to ensuring regional peace
Together with the High Representative, the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union will hold the Ministerial Forum, bringing together the Member States, the European Commission and Indo-Pacific partner countries.
The forum will address specific challenges related to security and defence, and digital and connectivity issues in the context of the Global Gateway initiative to develop infrastructure worldwide, as well as global challenges such as global health, climate change, biodiversity and the protection of oceans.
Bangladesh now an important economic, political partner: Germany
Germany has praised Bangladesh saying the economy of the “up-and-coming” country continues to grow rapidly, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the poverty rate has been halved since 2000.
“In a rapidly developing region, Bangladesh is now an important economic and political partner for Germany,” said the German Federal Foreign Ministry in a statement on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Germany.
By 2026, Bangladesh will have officially left the status of a Least Developed Country (LDC), and by 2041, the country aims to become a high-income industrialized country (HIC).
“For 50 years, Germany has been working closely with Bangladesh in development cooperation,” said the German foreign ministry on Thursday.
In 1972, Germany was one of the first countries in Europe to recognize Bangladesh.
Today, the focus of the bilateral cooperation lies on managing the consequences of climate change, as well as ways to achieve sustainable economic growth and stability in the region.
On 4th February 1972, the Federal Republic of Germany was the first European country to recognise Bangladesh and to establish diplomatic relations.
The existing Consulate-General in Dhaka was transformed into an Embassy and relations at ambassadorial level were established.
Read: No possibility of expansion of sanctions: Shahriar
Germany has contributed around 3 billion euros to bilateral development projects. The next bilateral consultations are scheduled for this year.
“The focus of the cooperation is adaptation to the consequences of climate change and climate protection measures aimed at making Bangladesh's dynamic growth sustainable,” according to the statement.
In addition, Bangladesh is a pilot country for the Federal Foreign Office in which it is successfully supporting measures for early warning and risk prevention in the event of natural disasters, it said.
Bangladesh is already exposed to a number of hydro meteorological and seismic risks and is increasingly having to cope with the consequences of climate change.
Some 10 per cent of the country is no more than one meter above sea level, and around 25 million people live in the coastal regions, according to the statement. “Their livelihoods are threatened by flooding, monsoon storms and soil salinization.”
Bangladesh's economic success is primarily based on its textile industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of the gross national product and 80 per cent of the export earnings - Bangladesh is the world's second largest exporter of textiles. Germany, as the second largest importer of products from Bangladesh, is a close economic partner of the country.
This also means that the German economy has the responsibility to work with the governments of both countries to ensure compliance with fundamental social and environmental standards in production. Germany and Bangladesh are therefore in close bilateral dialogue.
Despite its high population density, Germany said, Bangladesh welcomed over 900,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in 2017.
“Their situation remains extremely difficult. With more than 700,000 residents, the camp in Cox’s Bazar is the largest refugee camp in the world. Germany supports Bangladesh’s efforts through, among others, humanitarian assistance and development cooperation funds,” said the statement.
German court: Syrian man guilty of crimes against humanity
A former Syrian secret police officer was convicted by a German court Thursday of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago.
Anwar Raslan is the highest-ranking Syrian official so far convicted of the charge. The verdict was keenly anticipated by those who suffered abuse or lost relatives at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria’s long-running conflict.
The Koblenz state court concluded that the defendant was in charge of interrogations at a facility in the Syrian city of Douma known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, where suspected opposition protesters were detained.
The court sentenced the 58-year-old to life in prison. His lawyers had asked judges last week to acquit their client, claiming that he never personally tortured anybody and that he defected in late 2012.
“This day, this verdict is important for all Syrians who have suffered and are still suffering from the Assad regime’s crimes,” said Ruham Hawash, a survivor of Branch 251 who testified in the trial.
“This verdict is only a beginning and we have a long way to go – but for us affected people, this trial and today’s ruling are a first step towards freedom, dignity and justice,” she said.
German prosecutors alleged that Raslan supervised the “systematic and brutal torture” of more than 4,000 prisoners between April 2011 and September 2012, resulting in the deaths of at least 58 people. Judges ruled that there was evidence to hold him responsible for 27 deaths.
A junior officer, E yad al-Gharib, was convicted last year of accessory to crimes against humanity and sentenced by the Koblenz court to 4½ years in prison.
Read: After Kazakhstan unrest, relatives await detainees' release
Both men were arrested in Germany in 2019, years after seeking asylum in the country.
Victims and human rights groups have said they hope the verdict in the 19-month trial will be a first step toward justice for countless people who have been unable to file criminal complaints against officials in Syria or before the International Criminal Court.
Since Russia and China have blocked efforts for the U.N. Security Council to refer cases to The Hague-based tribunal, countries such as Germany that apply the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes will increasingly become the venue for such trials, experts say.
“We are starting to see the fruits of a determined push by courageous survivors, activists and others to achieve justice for horrific atrocities in Syria’s network of prisons,” said Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
“The verdict is a breakthrough for Syrian victims and the German justice system in cracking the wall of impunity,” she added. “Other countries should follow Germany’s lead and actively bolster efforts to prosecute serious crimes in Syria.”
The trial is the first of its kind worldwide and other courts may cite the verdict and evidence heard in Koblenz, said Patrick Kroker, a lawyer with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. The group represented 14 victims who under German law were able to take part in the proceedings as co-plaintiffs.
“The goal remains to bring senior Assad associates, such as former Air Force Intelligence chief Jamil Hassan, to justice for their crimes,” said Kroker. Germany issued an international arrest warrant for Hassan in 2018, but bringing him and other senior Syrian officials to trial will be difficult, as the country does not extradite its citizens.
Read: European Parliament President David Sassoli dies at age 65
Still, the European Union’s judicial cooperation organization, Eurojust said the ruling “will leave a lasting mark on international criminal justice.”
It noted that photographs of alleged torture victims smuggled out of Syria by a former police officer, who goes by the alias of Caesar, were a key part of the evidence against Raslan.
Human rights experts said it was significant that the Koblenz court had deemed the allegations of sexual violence to be among the crimes against humanity Raslan was convicted for. However the judges didn’t convict him over the enforced disappearances, meaning those will have to be prosecuted separately in future proceedings.
Conservative estimates put the number of those detained or forcibly disappeared in Syria at 149,000, more than 85% of them at the hands of the Syrian government, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. Most disappeared or were detained soon after peaceful protests erupted in March 2011 against Assad’s government, which responded to the rallies with a brutal crackdown.
The Syrian government denies it is holding any political prisoners, labeling its opposition terrorists. After battlefield wins, it has negotiated limited prisoner exchanges with various armed groups, which families say offer partial solutions for a very small number of people.
Raslan’s lawyers can appeal the verdict.
Higher Study in Germany: Scholarship Opportunities for Bangladeshi and Other International Students
Germany offers a unique opportunity to international students. Every year, universities in Germany offer scholarships to international undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in various degree programs. They are awarded through merit-based competitions, which focus on academic excellence and/or financial need. Students at any level of study, from undergraduates to PhDs, can apply for a scholarship offered by their university or program of interest. This article will cover the scholarships offered by Germany for international students including Bangladesh.
A Guideline for Prospective Bangladeshi Students for Studying in Germany
Germany is one of the preferred destinations for undergraduate and postgraduate students in higher education. Germany is one of the favorite places for students for various reasons, including education and research, tuition fees, scholarship facilities. Students from all over the world including Bangladeshi students choose Germany for higher education.
How to Get Scholarship in Germany for Study Bachelor Degrees?
After the HSC examination in Bangladesh, one can see the rush of students to prepare for higher education in developed countries. It is seen that many good students backed up with all the preparations due to economic inconsistency. In all these cases, the countries of Europe are different. With the exception of some countries, the amount of tuition fee is less or not at all in almost all countries, and Germany is one of them.
Read SAT Preparation: Free Online Resources for Study, Mock Tests, and Guidelines
First of all, you will need to select the course you want to pursue. Next, you have to make a list of what is required in the subject selected in Germany (language skills, university admission qualification, extracurricular activities, etc.). Further, IELTS (5.5-6.5) / TOEFL will be required in English Medium, but you will require a German Language (B2/C1) certificate to study in the German language.
You can apply to a German university in two ways, through "UniAssist" and at the university's online portal. You will get the admission decision in 1-1.5 months after application or a maximum of 2 months.
After receiving the offer letter, the first thing to do is to take the visa appointment slot to the German Embassy in Bangladesh. Then open a block account, send block money, travel health insurance, prepare for a visa interview. According to the embassy requirement, the final decision is reached within 4-6 weeks after the interview.
Read Best Countries to Study and Work in 2021
In eastern Germany, pastors push for shots despite protests
The pastor opened the wrought-iron doors of St. Petri Church in the German city of Chemnitz and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold for shots against the coronavirus.
Together with the parish council, the Rev. Christoph Herbst had invited in a relief organization and volunteer doctors to conduct a Sunday vaccination clinic at the Lutheran church. The act of community outreach, the pastor knew, might not go over well in a part of Germany prone to vaccine resistance, including sometimes violent protests.
“I was very insecure about how people would react to our offer,” Herbst said as he welcomed the waiting crowd into his neo-Gothic house of prayer. “In our region, there are very different and very polarized views about the coronavirus measures in general, about how to fight the pandemic, and especially about the vaccinations.”
Saxony state, where Chemnitz and the city of Dresden are located, has the lowest vaccination rate among Germany’s 16 federal states, and one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. Only 60.1% of residents were fully vaccinated by Christmas, compared to the nationwide average of 70.8%. At some points in the pandemic, local hospitals had to transfer patients out of state because all the intensive care beds were full.
Lutheran pastors across Saxony have used their sermons to promote vaccines as the most efficient way to prevent severe illness and to end the pandemic. Like Herbst, many opened their churches for clinics this month, hoping that offering jabs in a familiar environment and without advance registration might persuade some holdouts.
“We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves, and that we should do something for society with the resources we have,” Herbst explained. “We’re not doctors and we’re not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.”
Read: US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine
Chemnitz, a city of about 247,000 residents, was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt when it and the rest of Saxony were part of the former communist East Germany. Many of the local vaccine refusers cite concerns of possible side effects, but also feeling overwhelmed by what they see as too much pressure from authorities or general opposition to any measures endorsed by the government, according to Herbst.
Among those who patiently sat in a pew waiting to roll up their sleeves at Herbst’s church were Hannelore and Bernd Hilbert, a retired couple from the nearby village of Amtsberg. They came to get booster shots because some of their five grandchildren are too young to be vaccinated, and the Hilberts hoped to see them for Christmas.
“Last year’s Christmas was really sad. We were all alone,” Hannelore Hilbert, 70. said.
“We’re grateful for the church to offer these shots,” added her 72-year-old husband, who said they had waited unsuccessfully for shots at a hospital a few days earlier.
The vast majority of the church’s vaccine recipients on a recent Sunday turned out to have more in common with the booster-seeking couple than the skeptical or frightened community members Saxony’s pastors are trying to reach.
Of the 251 vaccines administered during St. Petri’s daylong clinic, 18 went to individuals receiving their first dose. None of them wanted to speak with The Associated Press about why they’d changed their minds and decided to get shots almost one year into Germany’s mass immunization campaign.
A loud minority in Germany has opposed any kind of anti-virus measures since the start of the pandemic. The resistance grew angrier and more aggressive in recent weeks after the national parliament this month passed a vaccine mandate for some professions and most of the country’s regions resumed some form of restrictions in response to the latest wave of infections.
Read: Immigrants welcome Afghan refugees, inspired by own journeys
With mass demonstrations banned in several parts of the country due to the pandemic, vaccine opponents have gathered for protest “walks” - unauthorized marches organized quickly via social media. Around 30 protesters showed up with torches outside the home of Saxony state Health Minister Petra Koepping one night, shouting slurs until police arrived.
The protests swelled in recent days, sometimes drawing thousands of people. Police detained several participants for attacking officers and journalists. Some Lutheran pastors received criticism and personal threats for their efforts to encourage vaccination.
Herbst said he thinks the majority of Saxons back the country’s immunization campaign and that far-right groups intent on undermining democracy have coopted anti-vaccine sentiment, fueling an already present sense among residents of Germany’s east of feeling left behind 30 years after the country’s reunification.
When parishioners confront him with their opposition to vaccines, the pastor says he tries to listen instead of judge.
“And I listen to things that are sometimes difficult to hear,” he said. “I also listen to things that I think belong in the realm of conspiracy theories. I don’t confirm those. But it’s important that there’s a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation.”
However, the pastor wonders if at this point all the arguments for and against vaccination have been exchanged and the decision of whether or not to get immunized no longer should be left as a matter of personal choice.
“There are people who say what is needed now is a democratically legitimized decision by parliament on a general vaccine mandate,” Herbst said. “That would be a decision that does not work on moral pressure, but rather on the basis of a set of rules that applies to everyone.”
The post-Merkel chapter in Indo-German ties
For the first time in 16 years, Germany has a government without the Christian Democratic Union. Negotiations among the Social Democratic Party (red), the Free Democratic Party (yellow) and the Greens have resulted in the “traffic light” coalition led by Olaf Scholz, who has been sworn in as Chancellor. Scholz has conceded the finance portfolio to the leader of the FDP, Christian Lindner, while the Greens have secured important ministries. For the first time, the foreign ministry is headed by a woman, Annalena Baerbock, who was the chancellor candidate of the Greens. Robert Habeck of the Greens heads a larger ministry including economy, energy and climate issues.
India must seek continuity and expansion of ties from the new government. While the SPD has been a part of earlier coalitions, the current generation of leaders of the Greens and the FDP have had little interaction with India.
READ: Vladimir Putin invites PM Modi to visit Russia in 2022
The coalition document has emphasised the need to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Germany. Germany views India as an important partner for resolving global issues, including climate change, food security, energy and international peace and security. The Merkel initiative of establishing inter-government consultations, therefore, should continue. India also figures in the calculus of the coalition document by virtue of the fact that the coalition has decided to abide by the policy guidelines on the Indo-Pacific of 2020. Within the German Indo-Pacific guidelines, India is mentioned for the enhancement of engagement and fulfilment of objectives. India should now be an important node while discussing issues relating to international security. This is because Germany’s has an increased realisation of the importance of the Indo-Pacific.
Germany is keen to implement connectivity projects, through the European Union, to counter China. In this, the EU-India connectivity partnership announced at the EU-India leaders meeting in May 2021 is acknowledged. The coalition sees the conclusion of an India-EU BTIA as an important aspect that will help develop relations.
Chancellor Scholz met Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome when he accompanied Merkel. In my meetings with him, he came across as a person interested in India’s education and skill development policies. He speaks fluent English and is an amiable person.
The Greens may pursue a more potent green foreign policy and climate agenda. The foreign ministry will have three parliamentary state secretaries, and all of them Greens. There is much green content in the Indo-German engagement at present, including in the fields of solar power, transportation, smart cities, metros and the Namami Gange. What is required now is a bold, prudent action-oriented approach. However, if the German foreign ministry starts adopting an aggressive green role and determines its foreign policy engagement based on how German values and climate issues are seen by its counterparts, it may singe relations. India likes to determine its own pace in a responsible manner for the implementation of these ideas.
READ: ‘Will continue working with Hasina’, reassures Modi
Baerbock recently called out China for being at variance with German values. The Chinese embassy in Berlin has cautioned against such a stance. Germany, if it pursues a values-led policy, will not be able to stop at China. India and Germany are due to hold the next intergovernmental consultations. This is a summit planned with senior ministers. The pace at which this is scheduled and prepared will indicate if the promise of the coalition document is bearing fruit.
India has expectations from the ministries of economy and energy as well as transportation. The high-speed railway project has been hanging fire for some time now. Germany can contribute to green railway infrastructure in a major way. Another area where Germany would focus attention is education.
India and Germany must realise the cooperative goals of the IP guidelines. These must involve businesses. German companies must be encouraged to use the liberalised PLI scheme to establish manufacturing hubs in India, which can export to ASEAN and Africa. The two nations may also initiate an Africa vaccine production facility. Germany has committed 250 million euro in loans to Africa for this. If implemented with India, as in the Quad initiative, such a facility can be established in the underserved East African region.
India and Germany must think afresh to engage more closely in areas of complementarity.
Explosion of WWII bomb in Munich injures 4, disrupts trains
A World War II bomb exploded at a construction site next to a busy railway line in Munich on Wednesday, injuring four people, one of them seriously, German authorities said.
A column of smoke was seen rising from the site near the Donnersbergerbruecke station. The construction site for a new commuter train line is located on the approach to Munich's central station, which is a bit over a kilometer (about a half-mile) to the east.
Read: Russia: Death toll in Siberian coal mine blast raised to 52
Trains to and from that station, one of Germany's busiest, were suspended but service resumed in mid-afternoon. A few local trains were evacuated. The fire service said there was no damage to the tracks.
Unexploded bombs are still found frequently in Germany, even 76 years after the end of the war, and often during work on construction sites. They are usually defused or disposed of in controlled explosions, a process that sometimes entails large-scale evacuations as a precaution.
Bavaria's state interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said the 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb was found during drilling work, German news agency dpa reported.
Herrmann said authorities must now investigate why it wasn't discovered earlier. He noted that such construction sites are usually scanned carefully in advance for possible unexploded bombs.