Germany supports India’s OBOR stand

NEW DELHI: Germany shares India’s concerns on China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative strategic programme as a “top down exercise”, German ambassador Martin Ney said here on Tuesday, days before the fourth round of inter-governmental consultations to be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“OBOR is very different from the ancient Silk Road. It’s not about free trade, it's a trade-enhancing measure by China,” Ney told reporters here. Defence, trade and strategic concerns will dominate the discussions between Modi and Merkel.

Comparing the inter-governmental consultation process to a joint cabinet meeting, Ney said Modi would be accompanied by a number of his ministers. Germany, he said, is ready to sign a government-to-government defence pact with India, adding there would be many “substantial” agreements during the visit.

Identifying terrorism as a major challenge, Ney said Germany stands by India in its fight against the menace and noted that his country had been sharing intelligence with the Indian government.

Supporting India’s membership to the four export control regimes, he specifically endorsed India’s accession to the NSG.

Ney pointed out the absence of EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). With India having killed off all existing investment treaties with European countries, new investments into India could become risky without any rules that protect investments. “India decided to terminate a whole series of bilateral investment treaties with individual countries.

Effect of that on bilateral relations is not good. New investments into India have no rules and no protection,” he said. Recognising some of the steps India has taken towards ease of doing business, he said Germany had already invested Rs 53,000 crore into India since 2010.

Ney said: “The core of the inter-governmental consultations is that Germany and India agree on fundamental principles of democracy and institutional principles ... both are members of G-20, want UNSC reform, support a rules-based order and freedom of navigation in accordance with UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

Modi will arrive in Berlin on May 29 and head into a one-on-one dinner with Merkel.

On May 30, he will get a formal welcome with military honours following which the two delegations will head into a plenary discussion and sign agreements currently being negotiated. He will fly out to Spain on the night of May 30.