India-German Partnership Vital to Steer Through Global Crises: German Consul General

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
In a crisis-ridden world confronted with intractable challenges, Germany valued its partnership with India highly as democracies that place human dignity at the centre have a critical role in shaping a better future based on shared values, says Achim Burkart, Consul General of Federal Republic of Germany.

The Consul General was speaking at an event organized by Goethe-Zentrum at Hotel Hyatt Regency here to mark the German Day of Unity and the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sunday (November 9).

Dr Syed Ibrahim, German Honorary Consul, and G Vijayaraghavan, founder CEO of Technopark, were among those present.

Noting that German constitution makes an unequivocal declaration that “Human dignity is inviolable”, the Consul General said this assertion is all the more important “when you are faced with a world that is so out of joint.”

Noting that India is gaining increasing influence on the global stage, he said though countries do not agree with each other on every issue, meaningful partnerships can be built, which will have a significant impact on the future.

“India and Germany together can achieve so many things together. Let’s continue to go this common path,”he said.

Though challenges staring at humanity are grim there is no need to abandon hope as democracies like Germany and India can leverage their influence to create a better world, he said.

“Let give me a short answer: don’t worry, Germany is and will remain a stable democracy and also will continue to be an economic powerhouse and it will continue to be a close partner and friend of India. Yes, the future is uncertain. It is open. But that also means that it is in our hands,” the Consul General said.

“What unites many countries in this world is the fact that vast majority wants only one thing, that their children can live in safety, in dignity and in freedom – and we all know, that the autocrats and demagogues have very little to offer in this respect,” he said.

He noted at the outset that for Germans, The 9th of November is known as ‘Schicksalstag der Deutschen’ – the day of fate – since many significant events in their history since mid-19th century had happened on that date. “whether in 1848, 1918, 1923, 1938 or 1989: November 9th is a highly ambivalent, complex day in German history,” he noted at the outset.

Ina presentation that touched on major issues facing the world including wars in Ukraine and West Asia, climate change, extremism and disinformation, he said“ 34 years after the peaceful reunification of Germany, we are facing major challenges not only in Germany, but worldwide.

Recalling the jubilant mood the unification of Germany generated across world over three decades back, he said “Hopes that at some point seemed like certainties. But today it is clear that they have all turned out to be illusions.”

“There are more autocracies than democracies in the world today. Today, the climate crisis is forcing millions of people around the world to flee their homes. Terrorist groups from the Sahel to the Middle East are shaking entire regions,” the Consul General noted.

For Germany the way forward is to protect its constitution, united Europe, belief in international law and multilateralism and good relations with countries such as India, he said.

“Under no circumstances must we duck away. We must stand up for our values and our interests. Otherwise, we will leave this space to those who want to destroy our values and our interests. That is why we must act confidently, strategically and we must act together, in partnership,” he said, adding “we cannot create peace alone. We need partners.”

He noted that Dr. Syed Ibrahim and his team has been working relentlessly for the betterment of the Indo-German relations, the spreading of the German language in Kerala and the support for well-trained Keralites to migrate to Germany.

The presentation by the Consul General was followed by a concert by ALMATO.