Honorable Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
in this great and most exciting city of New Delhi, we are not even near to any sea port. Which can be hard at times if you are from the North of Germany.
A couple of weeks ago, however, I was personally very happy that India was this year´s partner country to Hamburgs annual port anniversary. In fact, the port anniversary was selected by India as the starting event for the year of India in Germany. The Indian government was represented in Hamburg by minister of trade, Anand Sharma.
Here today, I am happy to be back. Back into Indian-German mutual endeavours, even though we are not near to any sea port. India and Germany, and this is my unshakable opinion, are determined to expand and extend their cultural as well as economic and trade relations. That will be mutually beneficial.
Today, we are taking another step forward. The issues are good education, better jobs, logistics and, well, the endeavour that has started it all: seafaring.
Trade relations between Hamburg and India reach back into the 16th century. It was a merchant called Richard von Carlowitz, one of Germanys pioneers in trading with Asia, who adopted a more systematic approach and organised an expedition in 1844 to explore the markets of India. In 1888 the Hamburg-Calcutta shipping line commenced regular services which were later taken over by HAPAG. Hamburg has had its India Port since 1894. A name which still today indicates our wish to be a Gateway to the World.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
as to logistics, things were a bit harder to handle than they are today. The container was unheard of. So was globalization and yet, what hard working dockers actually did was, break new ground. Their dedication and working skills helped some to make Germany and India global players.
In our time, Indias importance in trade terms with Germany - and in particular Hamburg has grown strongly over the last few years. Since 2002 Hamburgs foreign trade with India has risen from Euro 452 million to Euro 1.27 billion.
Total tonnage in containerised goods trading between Germany and India rose by around 23 per cent between 2009 and 2010, on an upward trend. India is our tenth largest partner in terms of container turnover and ranks 19th in Hamburgs top foreign trade partners.
Still, breaking new ground is as urgently required as it was 100 years ago. For instance, breaking new ground in creating jobs and improving employee´s working conditions, as well as seeing to their economic welfare, and the Nation´s progress.
I have the highest possible respect for the Indian national manufacturing policy, which has the goal of creating jobs in industry, enhancing production depth, training employees and improving competitiveness and sustainability. This needs foreign investments. The bureaucratic hurdles need to be simplified, as they do everywhere in the world, and innovations need to be promoted.
Germany and India have been cooperating in the area of job training since Chancellor Merkels visit here in India in 2007. Our joint projects in curriculum development, train-the-trainer, and the recognition of qualifications have been especially successful.
Today´s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding adds new quality to our co-operation.
Herr Schmidt-Trenz will tell us more about its contents. I especially appreciate the active role our chamber of commerces subsidiary, Chamber Consult, is taking in developing a joint project with the CII Institute of Logistics for training in this field. Chamber Consult will support CII in developing the Sector Skill Council for transport and logistics. This cooperation is to incorporate needs assessment, development of training measures as well as quality control for training.
This strategic partnership will profit both sides. Hamburg companies with subsidiaries here in India will have better trained personnel in future which will advertise Hamburgs strength as a logistics center.
Hamburg has supported the organisation of container workshops by Uniconsult on many occasions to support container management in Indian ports. These workshops are very well received.
Good training results in better jobs, better jobs increase the chances of leading a self-determined work life. Hamburg and India want to work towards this goal together.
Lets go to work!
The spoken word applies.