The Aryavarth Express
Ahmedabad (Gujarat), January 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday took part in the International Kite Festival 2026 at the Sabarmati Riverfront, where they were seen flying a kite depicting Lord Hanuman, adding a vibrant cultural touch to the diplomatic engagement.
Chancellor Merz’s participation marked a highlight of his first official visit to India and symbolised the growing warmth in India-Germany relations. Earlier, the two leaders jointly inaugurated the festival and interacted with kite flyers and visitors, blending cultural celebration with diplomatic outreach.
Visuals from the event showed both leaders enjoying the festive atmosphere and engaging with participants at the venue, which hosts kite enthusiasts from India and across the globe.
With Makar Sankranti approaching, the International Kite Festival will be held over three days, concluding on January 14. The event features participation from 135 international kite flyers representing 50 countries, along with 65 flyers from across India and 871 local participants from Gujarat.
Before inaugurating the festival, Prime Minister Modi welcomed Chancellor Merz at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. The two leaders paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, and the German Chancellor also signed the visitors’ book at the Ashram.
Chancellor Merz arrived in India earlier on Monday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. He was warmly received at the airport by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
During his visit from January 12 to 13, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The discussions will focus on reviewing progress in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently completed 25 years, and exploring ways to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility.
The leaders are also expected to advance collaboration in defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties. On January 13, Chancellor Merz will visit Bosch and the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) before departing for Germany.
Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz last met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where they agreed to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership. The current visit also comes ahead of the India-EU Summit scheduled for January 27 and coincides with the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Germany.
