New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday. It will be Merz’s first official visit to India.
Modi and the German chancellor will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront on Monday, which will be followed by bilateral engagements at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years recently.
“Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, and engage with business and industry leaders of the two countries.
Meanwhile, PM Modi will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat from January 10 to 12, during which he will also participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv at the Somnath temple and a Vibrant Gujarat regional conference in Rajkot.
Modi will arrive in Somnath on January 10. Around 8 pm that day, he will participate in Omkar mantra chanting and thereafter view a drone show at the Somnath temple.
Around 9:45 am on January 11, the PM will take part in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour those who laid down their lives defending the Somnath temple. The Shaurya Yatra will feature a symbolic procession of 108 horses, reflecting valour and sacrifice.
Thereafter, Modi will offer prayers at the Somnath temple around 10:15 am. He will then participate in a public function marking Somnath Swabhiman Parv at 11 am.
According to a statement, the Parv is being held to remember the countless citizens of India who have made sacrifices to defend the temple, which continues to inspire the cultural consciousness of future generations.