Germany celebrates Unity Day in Delhi as India ties reach 75 years

New Delhi: Germany has marked the Day of German Unity in New Delhi with a reception that also commemorated 75 years of diplomatic relations with India. The event, held on Tuesday at the German Embassy in Chanakyapuri, was attended by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri as chief guest, members of parliament, diplomats, business leaders and representatives of civil society and academia. A European Parliament delegation led by David McAllister, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and two members of the German Bundestag were also present.
Ambassador Dr Jaspar Wieck recalled the reunification of Germany 36 years ago after four decades of division. He then highlighted the anniversary of bilateral ties, established in 1951 shortly after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.

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“What began in 1951 has grown into a trusted strategic partnership encompassing all central topics of our time: trade and investment, research and technology, climate protection and sustainability, artificial intelligence and space, migration and mobility, security and defence,” he said. “Germany is proud to stand alongside India as a trusted partner in this journey.”
Speaking in Hindi, he added: “Is safar mein Bharat aur Germany saath milkar aage badh rahe hain” (“On this journey, India and Germany are moving ahead together”). The evening also featured a performance by the Jazz Formation of the German Army Music Band Neubrandenburg.
Ambassador Wieck welcomed Bundestag members Sepp Müller, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, and Vanessa Zobel, stressing the role of legislators in a partnership between democracies. He pointed to the expected signing of an EU-India free trade agreement by the end of the year as a potential “game changer” for trade and investment, noting that the deal would still require ratification by the European Parliament.

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The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership at the turn of the millennium. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union, with more than 2,000 German companies operating in the country, mainly in automotive, mechanical engineering, chemicals and renewable energy. Nearly 70,000 Indian students are enrolled in German institutions, and Germany issued almost a third of its worldwide student visas in India in recent years.
High-level exchanges this year have included a visit by Chancellor Friedrich Merz in January, accompanied by a business delegation, and the conclusion of free trade agreement negotiations at the EU-India summit in New Delhi later that month. The next round of inter-governmental consultations is scheduled for early 2027 in Germany, for which PM Modi is expected to travel to the country.