India and Germany are looking to boost defence industry cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday after hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his home state of Gujarat. Merz began his two-day India visit -- his first to Asia since taking office in May -- two weeks ahead of an EU-India summit and as India and the European bloc are working on a free trade agreement. Both countries announced several agreements and joint declarations after the leaders' meeting with an aim to boost their $50 billion trade. The announcements included strengthening defence industry cooperation and on semiconductors and critical minerals. He said the leaders had agreed on "deeper cooperation in defence, space and other critical and emerging technologies".

Source: The Local January 12, 2026 20:22 UTC