Trade, anti-terror, UNSC on agenda for Singh-Merkel meet

Singh flew in here from Brussels today after attending the India-European Union summit for a working visit to Germany at the invitation of Merkel.

Singh's talks with Merkel later in the day are expected to further enhance bilateral strategic partnership at a time when the ties between the two countries are marked by rapidly growing economic and trade ties.

Germany is India's largest trading partner in the 27-nation European Union with bilateral trade growing in the recent years to reach 13.4 billion Euros in 2008.

Bilateral trade decreased marginally to 13.09 billion Euro but has revived and is growing by over 15 per cent and has reached 9.80 billion Euro during January-August 2010.
Ahead of the talks, Prime Minister Singh said India's engagement with Germany is strong and multi-faceted.

Singh said he was looking forward to reviewing with Chancellor Merkel the developments in bilateral cooperation in the areas of high technology, trade, investment, energy and education.

India and Germany will serve together on the UN Security Council as non-permanent members for a two-year period from January one, 2011.

Singh and Merkel will also review the major regional and global issues including the situation in Afghanistan and climate change as well as the state of the global economy and the role of the G-20 in the recovery process.

Germany is also expected to take the line adopted by the EU at its summit with India yesterday in Brussels on the need for Pakistan to act expeditiously to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack.

The EU while denouncing terrorism wanted terror camps to be closed wherever they exist.

Earlier, Germany had said Pakistan is "not doing enough" to combat terrorism, noting that the situation in that country is an issue of "central concern" to it.

German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek had said the internal situation in Pakistan is "unstable."

Matussek had said it would in the interest of the international community if the Pakistan security apparatus "chase out" al-Qaeda and other terror elements from the country.
"If Pakistan goes down...it will affect countries like India," he had said, adding efforts should be made to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of civilian rule.