India, Jan. 12 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed to significantly deepen cooperation across defence, critical technologies, clean energy and global security during Merz's first official visit to India on 12-13 January 2026, signalling a sharper strategic alignment between India and Germany.

Merz's visit, his first to Asia since taking office, came amid expanding India-Germany engagement and ahead of the 25th anniversary of the bilateral Strategic Partnership in 2025 and 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2026. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation of 23 German CEOs and industry leaders, underlining Berlin's commercial and strategic focus on India.

The two leaders met in Ahmedabad, where...