Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock is in New Delhi on a two-day visit

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signed an Agreement on a Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership in New Delhi on Monday.

They also held extensive discussions on bilateral as well as important regional and global issues, including the Ukraine conflict.

"A wide ranging conversation today with FM @ABaerbock of Germany. Took forward our frequent exchanges, this time in greater detail. Reviewed our bilateral ties and shared perspectives on a number of important regional and global issues," EAM Jaishankar said on Twitter.

"Meeting today underlined our mutual interest in taking the relationship to a higher level," he added.

“The agreement on migration will ease mobility issues. We hope the visa challenges (for Indians to Germany) will be resolved too,” EAM Jaishankar said. He also expressed concern for Ariha Shah, a baby that was taken from Indian parents by German authorities. to make it easier for people to study and work in each other's country.

The German Foreign Minister said the migration agreement would make it easier for students and researchers from India to go to Germany, and for German investors and businessmen to travel to India.

"The Agreement is testimony to India’s rapidly expanding multi-faceted strategic partnership with Germany. The German Skilled Immigration Act 2020 has expanded the opportunities for workers from non-EU countries. Through a new law to be adopted in early 2023, Germany’s Government proposes to significantly facilitate the immigration of qualified workers from abroad," India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

According to the MEA, the India-Germany MMPA is part of overall efforts to create a network of agreements with prospective labour market destination Countries with twin objectives of creating of favourable visa regime for Indians towards accessing the labour market of these countries.

'INDIA A RISING ECONOMIC POWER'

"With India, we are connected not just through a partnership in the economic sense, we are connected with India through a values partnership," Foreign Minister Baerbock said during a joint media conference with EAM Jaishankar.

Before leaving for India, Baerbock told reporters, "The clear position taken by the G20 against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is due in the end to India".

"As a rising economic power and established democracy, India is both an example and a bridge-builder for many countries in the world, despite its social challenges domestically," Baerbock had pointed out.

As strategic partners, India and Germany have had a longstanding relationship and marked 70 years of diplomatic ties in 2021.

There have been several high-level engagements between the two countries in 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Berlin for the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations in May this year.

Prime Minister Modi visited Germany again in June for the G7 meet in Schloss Elmau at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as India was a partner country. The two leaders also met on the sidelines of the Bali G20 Summit in Indonesia in November.

While there has been no official announcement yet, Chancellor Scholz is expected to visit India next year.