German Foreign Minister to visit India tomorrow

Bengaluru, June 21 (ANI): German Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle will arrive here on a one-day state visit on Friday to have bilateral discussions with his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna.

This will be followed by a photo op and press interaction, before Dr. Westerwelle leaves for Dhaka on Saturday morning.

India enjoys long-standing friendly relations with Germany based on common democratic values and strong economic and technological ties.

The strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2001 has been steadily supplemented with institutional arrangements.

Germany is an important trade partner for India in Europe, with steadily rising bilateral trade. Trade has almost doubled from Euro 10 billion in 2006 and is expected to cross Euro 20 billion in 2012.

The Indian and the German governments are celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two governments are celebrating year-long festivals, with various cultural, economic and commercial events in each other's countries.

The "Year of Germany" is already underway in India and will go on till November 2012. (ANI)