Hyderabad, 24th October 2019: Courageous citizens in East Germany were instrumental in bringing about the fall of the Berlin Wall between the East and the West almost 30 years ago. The Fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which formally took place on 3rd October 1990. This revolution has been peaceful. Every year Germany is celebrating Re-unification in democracy and freedom.
The Federal Republic of Germany celebrated its 29th anniversary of Reunification on the 3rd of October 2019. A reception commemorating the same was hosted by Consul General Ms. Karin Stoll and Honorary Consul Mr. B.V.R. Mohan Reddy at Taj Krishna Hotel, Hyderabad on 24.10.2019. Harini Rao, a noted Hindustani classical vocalist of Hyderabad provided the music for the festive evening.
The Federal Republic of Germany was and is deeply rooted in Europe. Yet without the trust of key partner states German unity would not have been possible and the political division imposed by the Cold War would not have ended in 1989/1990.
Internationally Germany promotes an alliance for multilateralism which is open to all interested parties. 2019/2020 Germany is serving yet another term as non-permanent member in the UN Security Council.
The bilateral relations between India and Germany are very densely knit. Germany is India's biggest trade partner in the European Union. 1,700 German companies are operating in India and the numbers are still rising. In the last 3 years alone, about 120 German companies have started operations in India. The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce IGCC brings together more than 7,000 German and Indian companies.
Germany is closely cooperating with a number of universities in Telangana with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. At present more than 20,000 Indian students are studying in Germany. There are more than 400 partnerships between Indian and German universities today. After the last bilateral negotiations Germany had pledged nearly Rs 8,500 crore for development cooperation with India. Priority areas are renewable energy, sustainable urban developments in the field of sanitation, solid waste management and promotion of urban mobility. 60 years of bilateral development cooperation were celebrated last year. GIZ and KfW are well known implementing partners also in Telangana.
Bilateral ties would be incomplete without culture. The Goethe Centre in Hyderabad which is actively contributing to the cultural scene of this vibrant city will be celebrating its 15th birthday in December. The German Consulate General in Chennai has also supported the restoration of tombs in the Qutab Shahi Heritage Area out of Special Funds of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
