While on a trip to New Delhi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that the conditions under which the Kashmiri people are living is unsustainable and that it must be improved.
"As the situation at this moment (in Kashmir) is not sustainable and not good, this has to change for sure," Merkel was quoted as having said by German sources.
The comments by the German chancellor come amidst concerns expressed by some foreign lawmakers, including from the US, over restrictions imposed by the government post abrogation of Article 370 to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status in August.
The chancellor added that she would raise the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when she meets him at his official residence.
Later in the evening, Merkel and Modi held a ‘restricted’ meeting, in the presence of select ministers and officials from both sides. Members present included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Miniter S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.
Earlier, Modi and Merkel co-chaired the fifth Inter-Governmental Consultations and signed a raft of agreements. These included 17 MoUs and agreements in various fields, including space, civil aviation, maritime technology, smart cities medicine and education. In addition, five joint declarations were exchanged on consultations for the period 2020-24 on matters of cooperation on strategic projects, a partnership for green urban mobility, research and development on artificial intelligence (AI) and cooperation to prevent marine littering.
Modi said that India and Germany would continue their cooperation to expedite reforms in the UN Security Council. Earlier in the week, Modi had made a strong call for UN reforms while on his visit to Saudi Arabia.
The two leaders also issued a veiled message to Pakistan, calling on countries to ensure that their territories are not used for terror activities against other countries. A joint statement was later issued which called for a stronger international partnership in combating the “global scourge” of terrorism.
With inputs from PTI
