新湖畔网 （随信APP) | 德国总理朔尔茨前往印度，尽管在对俄罗斯问题上存在分歧

柏林和新德里是印太地区的防务伙伴 - 版权 AFP/法新社 Sajjad HUSSAIN

德国总理奥拉夫·肖尔茨将于周五访问印度，讨论经济、防务和劳工关系，并在乌克兰战争中的关系等更敏感问题上导航。

一些内阁部长将与肖尔茨一同前往，他将于周四出发前往欧洲最大经济体和南亚人口大国之间的政府间会谈。

柏林和新德里在印太地区是防务合作伙伴，肖尔茨将于周六访问停靠在果亚南部的两艘德国海军舰艇，进行为期七个月的部署。

但两国在与俄罗斯的关系上存在分歧。虽然德国坚定支持乌克兰，但印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪本周参加了金砖国家峰会，并与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京握手。

与德国相反，莫迪政府在保持与莫斯科的长期关系的同时，也在寻求与西方盟友更紧密的安全合作。

德国国际与安全事务研究所的克里斯蒂安·瓦格纳表示，这不需要成为更紧密合作的障碍。

“德国将印度视为印太地区的可靠伙伴，自然希望支持印度抵抗中国在印度洋的影响力扩张”，他说。

瓦格纳补充说，新德里希望避免看到“完全衰败的俄罗斯”，因为他们有一个“多极化亚洲”的愿景。

– 熟练劳动力 –

肖尔茨将与副总理兼经济部长罗伯特·哈贝克、外交部长安娜莉娜·贝尔博克和国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托里乌斯一同访问。

预计部长们还将讨论印度雄心勃勃的“绿色氢”生产计划，这是德国需求的清洁能源来源，因为俄罗斯的石油和天然气供应量缩减，柏林正在努力实现其气候目标。

预计莫迪和肖尔茨将在一次来自德国和各个亚洲国家的商界领袖大会上发表讲话。

德国将印度视为全球人口最多的国家，重要的经济和贸易伙伴，也是一个有前途的技术人员来源，帮助填补这个老龄化国家的劳动力短缺。

劳工部长胡伯图斯·海尔也将加入此行，他上周在柏林与印度侨民举办的活动上穿上板球衫，尝试印度的国家运动。

两年前，印度和德国签署了一项移民协议，以促进专业人士和学生的流动。

柏林还承诺简化签证申请流程，并提高印度专业资格在德国的认可度。

– “期望管理” –

肖尔茨、皮斯托里乌斯和贝尔博克将于周六前往果亚参观海军舰艇。

这些舰船正在那里进行与印度的联合演习，就在德国空军参加印度首次多国空军演习“波澜之力”几周后。

瓦格纳表示，近年来“一直存在加强军事合作的一致愿望，特别是来自印度一侧。”

但他警告说，德国和其他西方盟友需要在军事合作能够达到的效果方面进行“期望管理”。

瓦格纳说，虽然西方可以“支持印度以提高其对中国的军事能力……但我们不能期望这将在中长期带来印度外交政策的改变”。

他补充说，肖尔茨的访问也可能旨在推动“支持印度减少对俄罗斯武器的依赖”。

Berlin and New Delhi are defense partners in the Indo-Pacific region - Copyright AFP/File Sajjad HUSSAIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit India from Friday to discuss economic, defense, and labor ties, and navigate more sensitive issues such as relations with Russia amid the Ukraine war.

A host of cabinet ministers are traveling with Scholz, who leaves Thursday for the inter-governmental talks between Europe's biggest economy and the South Asian population giant.

Berlin and New Delhi are defense partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and Scholz will on Saturday visit two German naval vessels docked in the southern state of Goa for a seven-month deployment.

But the two countries diverge over ties with Russia. While Germany strongly backs Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week attended a BRICS summit where he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In contrast to Germany, Modi’s government has maintained its longstanding ties with Moscow even as it also courts closer security partnerships with its Western allies.

This does not need to be an obstacle to closer cooperation, said Christian Wagner of Germany's Institute for International and Security Affairs.

"Germany sees India as a reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific and naturally wants to support India against China's growing hegemonic ambitions in the Indian Ocean," he said.

Wagner added that New Delhi, with its vision of a "multipolar Asia", wants to avoid seeing a "completely weakened Russia".

– Skilled labor –

Scholz will be joined by Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Ministers are also expected to discuss India's ambitious program to scale up production of "green hydrogen", a clean energy source in demand in Germany as Russian oil and gas supplies have shrunk and Berlin seeks to meet its climate goals.

Both Modi and Scholz are expected to address a conference of business leaders from Germany and various Asian countries.

Germany sees India, the world's most populous nation, as a crucial economic and trade partner and a promising pool for skilled workers to help plug labor shortages in the aging country.

Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, who joins the trip, already launched a charm offensive last week when he donned a cricket shirt and tried his hand at India's national sport at an event with the Indian diaspora in Berlin.

India and Germany signed a migration agreement two years ago to facilitate mobility for professionals and students.

Berlin has also pledged to make its visa application process less bureaucratic and to improve the recognition of Indian professional qualifications in Germany.

– 'Expectation management' –

Scholz, Pistorius, and Baerbock travel to Goa on Saturday to visit the naval vessels.

The ships are there for a joint exercise with India, just weeks after the Luftwaffe took part in India's first multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti ("Wave of Strength").

Wagner said that in recent years "there has been a consistent desire for stronger military cooperation, particularly from the Indian side."

But he cautioned that Germany and other Western allies need to practice "expectation management" in terms of what military cooperation can achieve.

While the West can "support India in order to improve its military capabilities against China… we cannot expect that this will bring about a change in India's foreign policy course in the medium to long term," Wagner said.

He added that said Scholz's trip may also aim to promote efforts to "support India to reduce its dependency on Russian arms".