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Chancellor Friedrich Merz's (CDU) trip to India in mid-January was the focus of Ambassador Ajit Gupte's speech on India's national holiday (“Republic Day”) at the Tegeler Seeterrassen in northern Berlin on Sunday afternoon, as well as at the official reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Berlin-Mitte at the start of the week.

Ambassador Gupte recounted how successful Merz's visit to India had been. He even praised the German media's coverage of the visit. He emphasized above all the goal of the CDU politician's very first trip to Asia as German chancellor. The first stop on the trip to Asia was India. Why this is so important for India and what the ambassador actually wanted to say but did not say: The first stop was India and not China!

“This clearly shows India's high priority in Germany.” India plays a key role as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, said the ambassador. This year, Germany and India are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.

However, according to Gupte, the visit was not only politically successful, but also economically. The delegation consisted of 23 CEOs from German industry, and 19 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed, including in the defense industry, rare earths, and space projects.

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On Sunday afternoon, Gupte spoke to hundreds of compatriots in the Tegel Lake Terraces, a large catering complex with several event rooms and restaurants on the shores of Lake Tegel. Why there? Because this facility was taken over by an Indian restaurateur on January 1st. Barjinder Sodhi already runs several restaurants in Berlin.

The Indian diaspora is the largest in Europe after the UK. “The Indian community in Germany has so many associations that an umbrella organization should really be established,” said the ambassador of the country with a population of 1.4 billion.

The celebrations marked the 77th Republic Day, organized by the Indian National Days Celebration Committee (INDCC), with the participation of many diaspora organizations. On January 26, 1950, India adopted its constitution and declared itself a “sovereign socialist, secular, and democratic republic.” The Indian Constitution is one of the most comprehensive in the world. It lists in detail the rights and duties of citizens and the structure of government. India had already fought for its independence from more than 200 years of British colonial rule in August 1947. But it was not until two and a half years later that the Constitution came into force – as the basis for Republic Day.

You can find out more about the German-Indian relations in the diplo.news interview on July 17, 2025 with the German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann:

“Germany doesn't understand India enough — yet it is our most important partner of tomorrow”

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