NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz flew kites at the International Kite Festival organised at the Sabarmati Riverfront on Monday.The two leaders attended the International Kite Festival, with visuals showing them interacting with participants and joining the colourful celebrations that drew kite enthusiasts from India and abroad.Held ahead of Makar Sankranti, the three-day International Kite Festival will conclude on January 14 and features 135 international kite flyers from 50 countries, along with 65 participants from across India and 871 local flyers from Gujarat.Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad ahead of the festival’s inauguration.Merz arrived in India on Sunday for a two-day official visit from January 12 to 13, his first since assuming office, and was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sabarmati Ashram. The two leaders are scheduled to hold bilateral talks from 11.15 am at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where they will review progress in the India–Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently marked its 25th anniversary.The discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, as well as advancing collaboration in defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties. PM Modi and Merz will also exchange views on regional and global issues and engage with business and industry leaders from both countries.The visit is expected to build on ongoing high-level political engagement and reaffirm a shared commitment to a forward-looking partnership. On January 13, Chancellor Merz will visit Bosch and the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) before departing for Germany.PM Modi and Merz last held talks on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where they agreed to further expand the bilateral strategic partnership. The visit also comes ahead of the India–EU Summit scheduled for January 27.German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann recently underscored cooperation in defence and security, saying that “the strategic partnership between the nations has grown over the years.”
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