Germany, India sign $10.5b clean energy accords

BERLIN－Germany and India signed on Monday a series of bilateral agreements focused on sustainable development that will see the latter receive 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion) in aid by 2030 to boost the use of clean energy.

The accords were signed during a visit to Berlin by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a statement to media, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz highlighted the countries' common aims, such as fighting climate change, and the importance of cooperation between democracies.

The agreements covered issues ranging from technical assistance and the increased use of renewable energy and hydrogen to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity, as well as improving agricultural land use.

Environmental group Germanwatch welcomed the accords, describing India as a "swing state "for global efforts to tackle climate change.

"Accelerating the energy transition there is a vital contribution to staying within the 1.5 C limit," said its policy director Christoph Bals, referring to the warming threshold set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. He urged other members of the Group of Seven major industrialized economies to reach similar agreements with India.

Scholz has invited India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to attend the next G7 summit in Germany at the end of June.

Other areas of cooperation agreed between the two countries on Monday center on migration, nuclear research and the establishment of secure communications channels between the two governments.

During Modi's visit, Scholz also sought to elicit India's support for the tough stance taken by Europe and the United States toward Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

Modi said dialogue was the only way to reach a solution.

"We believe that there will be no winner in this war, everyone will lose. We are in favor of peace," said Modi, whose visit to Europe was also taking him to Denmark and France. Modi has refrained from overt criticism of Moscow.

Besides the humanitarian impact on Ukrainians, pressure on oil prices and global food supplies is also "putting a burden on every family in the world," he said. Scholz stressed that the conflict in Ukraine threatened the rules-based "global order".

Modi was holding talks in Berlin before heading to Copenhagen to join the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway at a two-day India-Nordic Summit from Tuesday.

He will then make a brief stopover in France to see President Emmanuel Macron to "share assessments on various regional and global issues and will take stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation", an Indian government statement said.

In a media briefing on Sunday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said European countries "not only understand but also have deep appreciation" of India's position on the conflict. The principal focus of the visits and discussions is to strengthen bilateral partnerships across a range of areas including trade, energy and sustainable development, Kwatra said.

Agencies Via Xinhua