New Delhi [India], October 27 (ANI): The Embassy of Germany celebrated Germany's National Day, the Day of German Unity, this evening in the Embassy garden in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The reception took on special significance this year: 2026 marks 75 years since Germany and India established diplomatic relations in 1951.
According to the Embassy of Germany in India, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was the Chief Guest. The evening was attended by Members of Parliament, diplomats, business leaders, and representatives of civil society, academia and the Indo-German community. A delegation of the European Parliament led by David McAllister, Chairman of its Foreign Affairs Committee, and two Members of the German Bundestag were among the guests of honour.
Welcoming guests in English, German and Hindi, Ambassador Jaspar Wieck began by recalling the event that the day commemorates.
"36 years ago Germany reunited – after 40 years of division, of barbed wire and of families torn apart," he said. "Each year we remember this moment of joy and happiness with deep gratitude to all those who have made this turn of history possible – in particular the people who stood up against communist dictatorship in Leipzig, Dresden, in Berlin and in many other parts of Central and Eastern Europe," he said.
He then turned to the anniversary at the heart of this year's celebration, stating, "This year, there is even more to celebrate: 75 years ago Germany and India established diplomatic relations."
"What began in 1951, has grown into a trusted strategic partnership encompassing all central topics of our time: trade and investment, research and technology, climate protection and sustainability, artificial intelligence and space, migration and mobility, security and defense. Germany is proud to stand alongside India as a trusted partner in this journey," he added.
He underlined the shared journey in Hindi as well – "Is safar mein Bharat aur Germany saath milkar aage badh rahe hain" ("On this journey, India and Germany are moving ahead together").
The Ambassador stressed the role of legislators in a partnership between democracies, noting, "In a partnership between democracies, Parliaments play a crucial role. Parliamentarians bring a partnership into their constituencies – to the citizens, to civil society, to entrepreneurs, who all are the backbone of our partnership."
He welcomed two Members of the German Bundestag, Sepp Müller, Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, and Vanessa Zobel, to the stage, the Embassy stated.
Looking ahead, he pointed to the EU–India Free Trade Agreement as the next major milestone, stating, "At the end of this year we will see, hopefully, the signing of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, a game changer for our trade and investment partnership." Once signed, he noted, the agreement must be ratified by the European Parliament, which made the presence of a European Parliament delegation especially welcome. He greeted Mr David McAllister, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, and his committee colleague Mr Michael Gahler, who joined him on stage.
Guests at the reception watched a specially prepared film on the history of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Produced by the German Embassy in New Delhi, it recalls the key milestones of the partnership since 1951, when India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, the Embassy highlighted.
The musical part of the evening was marked by a performance by Jazz Formation of the German Army Music Band Neubrandenburg, led by Master Sergeant Marcel Vollmann. Ambassador Wieck thanked the band for setting the tone for the evening, before handing over to the Chief Guest, whom he described as "my dear friend Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri." He closed with an invitation, in English and in Hindi: "Let's celebrate together!" – "Aao, hum saath mein jashn manayein!"
The Day of German Unity is marked every year, but 2026 is not an ordinary year. It is the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Germany, which were established in 1951, only two years after the Federal Republic of Germany came into being. Over three-quarters of a century, a relationship that began with the exchange of diplomatic missions has become one of India's most substantive partnerships in Europe, the Embassy highlighted.
Elevated to a strategic partnership at the turn of the millennium, ties now span trade and investment, research and technology, climate and sustainability, artificial intelligence and space, migration and mobility, and security and defence. Government-to-Government Inter-Governmental Consultations, held regularly since 2011, are the highest-level format of this engagement; the eighth round is scheduled in Germany in early 2027.
More than 2,000 German companies operate in India, chiefly in automotive, mechanical engineering, chemicals and renewable energy, while Indian companies invest in Germany in IT, pharmaceuticals and engineering.
Almost 70,000 Indian students are enrolled in Germany, and nearly a third of all German student visas worldwide are issued in India. Germany's 2024 "Focus on India" strategy, which also covers skilled-worker recruitment, reflects how central this people-to-people link has become.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited India on 12–13 January 2026 with a business delegation. Two weeks later, at the 16th EU–India Summit in New Delhi on 27 January 2026, the EU and India concluded negotiations on a wide-ranging free trade agreement, the biggest economic prize of the relationship in years.
It is against this backdrop that this year's National Day reception was held: not only a celebration of German reunification 36 years ago, but a marker of 75 years of friendship between two of the world's largest democracies and a look ahead at what the next 25 years can deliver, the Embassy noted. (ANI)
Germany National Day: Foreign Secy Vikram Misri attends celebrations at German Embassy as nations mark 75 years of diplomatic ties
