German chancellor, Indian PM discuss Afghanistan, terrorism

Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday discussed with her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh situation in Afghanistan, terrorism and defense deals.

During their talks, Merkel and Singh agreed that the two countries cooperate in tackling terrorism and finding a solution to the Afghan problem.

Germany is a major participant in the U.S.-led NATO operation against Taliban in Afghanistan, while India regards its national security as being directly linked with the situation in Afghanistan.

Singh said that he had wide-ranging discussions on various issues of mutual interest with Merkel, which also included cooperation in nuclear energy.

"We reviewed developments in Afghanistan and terrorism. Terrorism has to be fought on all fronts and not selectively," Singh said.

He emphasized that the situation in Afghanistan cannot have a military solution and world powers need to find a lasting solution.

Merkel said that the situation in Afghanistan remains "serious".

Merkel also told the media that the European Union has not exerted any influence on India's decision to sign a 10.4 billion U. S. dollar deal to buy 126 Medium Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft ( MMRCA) to Indian Air Force (IAF).

"With the Eurofighter we have made good proposals and want to intensify our relationship with India. The Eurofighter is the best product on offer. We will not exert any influence on the procurement process and we shall wait and see," Merkel said.

The German chancellor arrived here Tuesday morning for an official visit.

During the visit, India and Germany signed four agreements for cooperation in vocational education, medical research, science and technology, and nuclear physics.

When asked about the use of nuclear energy, Singh said that every effort would be made to ensure that all safety norms and utilization of nuclear energy are world class.

"Today our nuclear energy is three per cent of our total energy generation. Our capacity is less than 5,000 MW. We want to raise it to 20,000 MW by the year 2020," the Indian Prime Minister said.

Source: Xinhua

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