German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrives in India on-four-day visit

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in India on Thursday, with an aim to strengthen bilateral ties. This will be his first visit to India as the German President.

In a statement issued by the German Embassy said: "The German Head of State will talk with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and other high-ranking politicians, such as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj."

Steinmeier will also hold talks with representatives of Indian civil society, science and industry, the statement said.

During the visit, Steinmeier will be accompanied by a CEO delegation, Indologists and a media delegation. He will be officially welcomed by President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife in New Delhi. Steinmeier will also visit Varanasi and Chennai.

Apart from his engagements here, Steinmeier, who will be accompanied by a delegation of top German businessmen and Indologists, will visit Varanasi and Chennai.

He had visited India several times in his former capacity as the Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany.

The last German President to visit India was Joachim Gauck in February 2014.

Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe and the sixth largest trading partner in the world. India was ranked 24th in Germany's global trade.

In 2016-17, the bilateral trade turnover was USD 18.76 billion. In 2016-17, India exported goods worth USD 7.18 billion to Germany and imported goods worth USD 11.58 billion.

Germany is the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India and the cumulative German FDI in India from April 2000 to December 2017 is USD 10.71 billion or 2.91 per cent of total FDI, according to official figures.

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