German defence minister Volker Ruhe yesterday sought Indo-German staff talks" in defence which could complement the existing policy consultations between foreign offices.
Even as he sought closer defence cooperation, he made a strong pitch for India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to further open its markets.
Noting that military contacts between India and Germany in the past concentrated on support in military education and training, Ruhe said today we see the opportunity to enlarge the scope of our bilateral cooperation in security affairs."
The first German defence minister to visit India, Ruhe was delivering a speech at the Indo-German dialogue on security issues organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
After the German unification, the end of East-West conflict and the Indian decision to strengthen its policy of regional and international cooperation our partnership can be based on a wider footing," he said.
He said Indias strategic analysis with regard to the neighbouring regions, especially Russia and China, is of utmost interest for us. At the same time, our view towards Russia, our major efforts to develop an economic and strategic partnership between the European Union and NATO will be of interest to India "" a country that has strong ties with Moscow.
The minister is accompanied by a 17-member delegation.