Trade boost on agenda for Modi-Merkel meet

Measures to boost trade and investment and cooperation in new areas such as artificial intelligence are expected to be on the agenda during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 1. Merkel will arrive in India on October 31 for the day-long visit at Modi's invitation. She will be accompanied by several ministers and state secretaries of the German government and a high-level business delegation. The two Leaders will also have a separate engagement with CEOs and business leaders of both sides. As part of the inter-governmental consultations, Indian ministers and their German counterparts will hold initial discussions in their respective areas, and the outcome of these talks will be reported on at the meet co-chaired by Modi and Merkel. During the consultations, the two sides will discuss ways to deepen cooperation in traditional sectors such as transport, skill development and energy, and explore possibilities for working together in new areas such as artificial intelligence and green urban mobility, the external affairs ministry said on Friday.