India’s dependence on Russian arms 'not in Germany's interest', says defence minister

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Monday said that the continuing dependence of India on Russian weapons is not in the interest of his country. The statement was made by the German minister ahead of his visit to New Delhi which is aimed at bolstering security ties.

Pistorius embarked on his first Asia tour after he became the country's defence minister in January.

He participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday and held discussions with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Monday. On Tuesday, Pistorius will be meeting his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh.

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In an interview with a German state-owned broadcaster, while speaking about if Germany will increase arms sales to India to alter the dependence of the country on Russian weapons, Pistorius said, “It is not up to Germany to change that on our own. This is an issue we have to solve jointly with other partners."

“But of course, we can’t have an interest in the long run that India is so dependent on Russia’s delivery of weapons or other materials. Therefore, we have to think about that, what we can do," he added.

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Sale of German submarines to India

Pistorius further hinted at German submarines' possible sale to India.

“When I will arrive in India, I will be accompanied by representatives of German defence industry companies and I want to send a signal that we are willing to support our reliable partners like Indonesia, and India. And that includes the possibility of delivering submarines, for example,” he added.

According to reports, Germany is a contender for the plan of the Indian Navy to acquire six conventional submarines worth $5.2 billion in an expected deal. The chances of Germany have increased since France’s Naval Group backed out of the project a year ago.

A major defence deal was signed by Germany with India in 1981 which included four HDW Type 209 submarines.

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Speaking about German policies on defence exports, Pistorius stated, “We have to find a balance between delivering weapons, on the one hand, to our reliable partners, and on the other hand, to control and to limit delivering weapons all over the world. Because we don’t need really so many weapons anymore in the world.”

Pistorius further explained the focus of Germany on the Indo-Pacific by stating that the 21st century will be shaped by the region in terms of freedom of navigation, international economic challenges and security.

"Germany, which has adopted its own Indo-Pacific guidelines, may not have an “active role” in the region but will show a presence by deploying warships in the area," he stated.

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