INDIAN PRIME MINISTER SINGH'S VISIT TO GERMANY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 001165

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV GM IN
SUBJECT: INDIAN PRIME MINISTER SINGH'S VISIT TO GERMANY

Classified By: Acting POL M/C John Lister for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).


1. (C) (Summary) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit
to Germany from April 23-25 raised India's profile as an
international partner for Germany and gave Singh a chance to
address German concerns about the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear
Initiative. In her public comments about the initiative,
Chancellor Merkel said she believes that, assuming the issue
continues to make progress in the U.S. Congress and the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),Germany should be able to
"intensify" its civil nuclear cooperation with India. Merkel
praised India for its vote in the IAEA to send the Iran issue
to the UN Security Council and a Foreign Ministry official
told us he expects Singh to continue playing a constructive
role on Iran, despite the constraints India faces on this
issue. Merkel also praised Singh for his efforts to bring
stability to the Asian subcontinent and announced that EU
cooperation with India on science and technology will be one
of the important themes of Germany's EU Presidency next year.
(End Summary)

Raising India's Profile
--------------


2. (C) Singh's visit got substantial press coverage, typified
by a front page picture of Chancellor Merkel shaking the hand
of an Indian-manufactured robot with the caption "The New
Friend." Ralf Horlemann, Deputy Director of the South Asia
Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told us that
Germany has had a strategic partnership with India since

2000. However, India has only become a focus of attention of
political elites, think tanks and the business leaders much
more recently, and the Singh visit brought this to a head.

Civil Nuclear Cooperation
--------------


3. (C) The U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Initiative figured
heavily in Singh's discussions with Chancellor Merkel and
Foreign Minister Steinmeier. In her public comments
following her meeting with Singh, Merkel said she believes
that, assuming the issue continues to make progress in the
U.S. Congress and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),Germany
should be able to "intensify" its civil nuclear cooperation
with India. She qualified the comment somewhat by
emphasizing that Germany is following the discussions in the
Congress and NSG closely, and by saying that Germany would
develop its position in the context of the "international
community." Merkel also underlined that the emphasis Singh
placed on India's commitment to nuclear nonproliferation was
very important to Germany, and she characterized IAEA
Director General el Baradei's support for the agreement as
significant. Horlemann said Foreign Minister Steinmeier told
Singh the Germans would be asking concrete questions about
the commitments the Indians are prepared to make and would
expect concrete answers.

Iran
--------------


4. (C) Merkel praised India for its vote in the IAEA to send
the Iran nuclear issue to the Security Council. She added
that Germany and India are of one mind that international
solidarity is critical in dealing with the Iran issue.
Horlemann said Steinmeier also thanked Singh for the IAEA
vote and said nothing critical about India's Iran policy
during his meeting. According to Horlemann, the Germans
believe, based on this meeting and several rounds of
consultations in New Delhi, that India will work
constructively with the EU-3 even though the Indians have a
different set of interests in Iran.

Pakistan
--------------


5. (C) Chancellor Merkel publicly praised Singh for his
efforts over the past two years to bring greater stability to
the subcontinent. She said she strongly supported further
negotiations and intensified cooperation between India and
Pakistan. Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri,
traveled to Germany right after Singh's visit, meeting with
Foreign Minister Steinmeier just one day after Steinmeier's
meeting with Singh. According to Horlemann, the Pakistani
Foreign Minister argued that the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear
Initiative could upset the balance of power in the region.
He said he counted on Germany to remain true to its
obligations and principles. Steinmeier told him that the
Germans are still developing their position.

Energy Security
--------------


6. (C) Singh and his Indian delegation spent much of their
time in Germany promoting Indian business at the Hanover
Industrial Fair, where they served as co-chair with Germany.
Both sides stressed the possibilities for expanding trade
between the two countries, which has been increasing 20-30
percent annually. The two governments signed an agreement
creating an Energy Forum, which will organize regular
meetings between high level officials and business leaders to
pursue cooperation in such fields as energy conservation and
renewable energy (but not nuclear energy). Chancellor Merkel
also announced that EU cooperation with India on science and
technology will be one of the important themes of Germany's
EU Presidency next year.
CLOUD