German President Koehler for deeper ties with India

New Delhi, Feb 3 (ANI): German President Horst Koehler, who is on a seven-day state visit to India, met President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.

He also met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

He will interact with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) students today.

Earlier, talking to reporters President Koehler sought enhanced bilateral cooperation with India in various sectors

"We want to develop further our relationship with India more intensive, more broader in our business communication and business cooperation and at the end we feel also not an economic, social development, there could a huge area of cooperation between India and Germany. We feel we want to give it attention and respect," Koehler said.

Calling for better relations with New Delhi, Koehler said India is a kind of rising star in world politics.

"The prowess of India cannot be ignored and that is why his country wants to have deeper ties with India," he added.

Koehler would also be visiting Mumbai and Pune.

The bilateral relations between India and Germany are marked by rapidly growing economic and trade ties. Germany is India's biggest trade partner in the European Union with a bilateral trade of 13.4 billion euros in 2008.

Germany is India's seventh largest investor cumulatively and India's second largest partner for technology collaborations globally. (ANI)