New Delhi, June 6 (EFE).- German defense minister Boris Pistorius met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh to discuss a possible deal to manufacture six German submarines in India, as part of his ongoing four-day visit to the South Asian nation.
Pistorius said in a press conference that he and Singh discussed a possible agreement over six Thyssenkrupp submarines, but the process could take some time, adding that the German (defense) industry was in the right place to do business with India.
“We need more cooperation, not only through (military) exercises but also by the defense industry, defense armament cooperation, and we are working on it, for example, regarding the submarines,” he said.
A source close to matter told EFE on the condition of anonymity that the German minister would travel to Mumbai on Wednesday and attend a meeting between Mazagaon Dock – an Indian public sector shipbuilder- and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, a German naval vessel supplier.
The source said that the two companies would “definitely” discuss a tender for six new submarines.
Bloomberg said that the project to manufacture the submarines in India was worth around $5.2 billion.
The deal is part of a series of overtures by the West to India in recent months, despite New Delhi abstaining from condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to its close ties with Moscow, which is one of the largest defense suppliers to India.
During the meeting, Singh highlighted the capabilities of the Indian defense industry to collaborate in Germany’s defense supply chain and add value to it through the “Make in India” initiative – aimed at boosting local manufacturing and reducing India’s dependence on foreign imports – the Indian defense ministry said in a statement
“India and Germany could build a more symbiotic relationship based on shared goals and complementarity of strength, namely skilled workforce & competitive costs from India and high technologies & investment from Germany,” Singh said.
Pistorius arrived in India on Monday as part of a four-day visit which includes meetings in New Delhi with representatives of Indian defense firms on Wednesday, before he heads to Mumbai, the ministry said. EFE
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