The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Joachim Gauck, will visit India from February 4–9. During his six-day visit, he will meet his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, among other senior officials. Mr. Gauck is also expected to meet the Governor of Karnataka during the second half of his visit.
The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic ties. During his visit to Delhi and Bangalore, Mr. Gauck is also expected to meet representatives of civil society, business leaders and educationists.
India and Germany share close bilateral and trade ties. The two nations signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2000. Germany is also India’s largest trading partner in Europe. With the commencement of the Inter-Governmental Consultations in 2011, India and Germany have seen regular high-level exchanges at the Head of Government level.