I once again extend a very warm welcome to Chancellor Merkel on her first visit to India.

Chancellor Merkel and I have had extremely warm, fruitful and intensive discussions. We have reaffirmed our strong mutual commitment to the strategic partnership that was launched in 2001.

The signing of several bilateral agreements today, and the Joint Statement on the Further Development of the Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Germany will impart a new and substantive momentum to our relations.

We both recognize the long-term potential of Indo-German economic and trade relations. Germany has become our largest trade partner in Europe and the fourth largest globally. I conveyed to the Chancellor that we welcome German investment, particularly in areas of Germany's proven technological strengths.

Science & Technology and cooperation in high technology areas remains an important dimension of our relations. This morning Chancellor Merkel and I launched the Science Express which is symbolic of our longstanding collaboration in this field.

We reviewed prospects for intensifying cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, energy, defence, education, culture and vocational training. We spoke about the need to facilitate people-to-people contacts.

We also discussed regional and global issues.

India and Germany share common values of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. We recognize the need to create an equitable international order which reflects contemporary realities, and is conducive to meeting the challenges of poverty and disease. We reaffirmed our common resolve to combat international terrorism, and to work towards an early and balanced outcome of the Doha round of talks.

I conveyed my appreciation to Chancellor Merkel for her leadership and keen interest on the issues of climate change and energy security. I would like to thank Chancellor Merkel for her endorsement of the idea of per capita entitlements, and the need for developed countries to accept convergence of per capita Green House Gas emissions of developing countries with theirs.

I invite Chancellor Merkel to make her comments.