German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a kite flying festival ahead of their meeting

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a kite flying festival ahead of their meeting

India and Germany are looking to boost defence industry cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday after hosting Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his home state of Gujarat.

Merz said Berlin also wants a closer security partnership with New Delhi, including deeper "cooperation between our defence industries" to cut India's traditional dependence on Russia for military hardware.

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