German to open Consulate General in Bangalore

New Delhi, Nov 19 (UNI) Germany will open a Consulate General in Bangalore on Friday, the first country to do so in that city.

The Consulate General will be opend by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier who arrives here this evening on a three-day official visit.

The Foreign Minister will have ''political consultations'' and discussions with the Indian leadership tomorrow on climate change and the current global finacial crisis, including the role of emerging economies in stabilising the situation.

''Foreign Minister Steinmeier will hold talks on bilateral, regional and current international topics. Important subjects will be the situation of the financial markets, the role of the emerging economies for stabilising the world economy and solutions to global challenges, such as climate change,'' a spokesman for the German embassy here said today.

He will be accompanied by high-ranking business and cultural delegations.

Mr Frank-Water Steinmeier will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition L K Advani tomorrow.

On Friday, he will visit Bangalore to officially open the German Consulate General. Germany is the first country to accredit a Consulate General in the city, the spokesman said.

''India and Germany are strategic partners. Their relationship is characterized by frequent high-level political consultations and particularly close economic ties,'' he said.

With a bilateral trade volume of 12 billion EUR (Rupees 75,357 crore) in 2007. Germany is India's most important trade partner in the European Union.

German companies rank among the top foreign investors in India while more and more Indian companies are investing in Germany.

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