German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has cancelled the India leg of his planned Asian tour, citing developments in Berlin
The decision follows Bärbel Bas’s announcement that she will step down as Germany’s labour minister and SPD co-leader following the death of her stepdaughter
Klingbeil had been scheduled to hold talks with Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar as part of efforts to strengthen India-Germany economic ties
German Finance Minister Calls Off India Trip As Political Turmoil Deepens In Berlin
Lars Klingbeil was due to visit New Delhi with Germany’s development minister for talks with Indian government officials and a financial round table before travelling to Thailand for international economic meetings.
Summary
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has cancelled the India leg of his planned Asian tour this week, his ministry said on Monday, citing “current developments” in Berlin, following the resignation announcement by Labour Minister Bärbel Bas, who is also his co-leader in the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The cancellation comes as Germany’s governing coalition faces renewed political uncertainty after Bas announced she would step down from her ministerial position and party leadership following the death of her stepdaughter, Reuters reported.
Trip Cancelled
Klingbeil had been scheduled to travel to India from October 12 to 17 alongside Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan and a business delegation. The German government had confirmed the itinerary during its press conference on Friday, before the cancellation was announced.
New Delhi was to be the first stop. Klingbeil was scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as well as participate in a financial round table with Sitharaman. The programme was intended to strengthen economic engagement between the two countries.
Germany’s Finance Ministry did not provide further details about the “current developments” cited as the reason for the cancellation in its statement, Reuters reported.
Thailand Visit
Klingbeil had also been scheduled to travel to Bangkok on Wednesday for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, alongside a G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors.
The German government’s October 9 briefing said the minister planned to use the meetings to discuss international crises, conflicts and growing global economic uncertainty. It also listed bilateral discussions with international partners on the sidelines of the gatherings.
Reuters reported the cancellation of the India leg of Klingbeil’s trip. It was not immediately clear from the supplied reporting whether the change would affect his subsequent engagements in Thailand.
Political Uncertainty
Bas announced on Monday that she would leave both her government post and her role as SPD co-leader following the death of her stepdaughter. She will remain a member of Germany’s Bundestag, according to Reuters.
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Klingbeil is also Germany’s vice-chancellor and co-leads the SPD, which governs in coalition with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc. Bas’s decision comes amid political and policy tensions within the coalition.
The cancellation removes a planned high-level opportunity for India and Germany to discuss financial cooperation and broader economic ties. The German government had described India as an important strategic partner with shared interests in open markets and a rules-based international order.
The status of the remaining travel programme and any rescheduling of Klingbeil’s India meetings had not been confirmed in the supplied sources.
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