Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the fifth India-Germany biennial Inter-Governmental Consultations in New Delhi on November 1.

Merkel, who is coming to New Delhi, will be accompanied by several ministers and state secretaries of the Federal Government of Germany, as well as a business delegation. The ministers of Germany and India will hold separate preparatory meetings before Prime Minister and German Chancellor will co-chair the Inter-Governmental Consultation and review the outcomes of the preparatory meetings, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in New Delhi.

Modi and Merkel will have a separate engagement with CEOs and business leaders of both countries.

German Chancellor will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind.

Modi and Merkel have been regularly meeting on the sideline of the multilateral conclaves.

India and Germany established a Strategic Partnership characterized by a high degree of trust and mutual understanding, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the MEA said. “Germany is a leading trade and investment partner (of India)”.

During the IGC, the MEA spokesperson said, the two sides will discuss the deepening of cooperation in traditional sectors such as transport, skill development and energy, and explore possibilities for cooperation in newer areas like green urban mobility and Artificial Intelligence. They will also exchange views on regional and global matters of mutual interest, he added.