"Agreement Of Necessity": German Envoy On India-EU Free Trade Deal

In his first exclusive interview since returning to India as Germany's Ambassador, Dr Jasper Wieck laid out an ambitious three-pronged roadmap for the Berlin-New Delhi partnership, anchored by a landmark free trade agreement, deepening defence industrial cooperation, and a sharp call for pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.Speaking to NDTV's Foreign Affairs Editor Aditya Raj Kaul, Wieck, no stranger to India, having previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission here, said he was struck by the pace of change on his return. "It's amazing to see the development of this country," he said, citing his recent trip to Mumbai as proof of the economy's vibrancy."An Agreement Of Necessity"The centrepiece of Wieck's agenda is the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, concluded after nineteen years of on-and-off negotiations.