London : The German province of Schleswig-Holstein made history by celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in their parliament for the first time.
The event was well-attended by the Indian community, led by Rakesh Veuli, a resident of the Arshan Berg area.Tobias and Deputy Commerce Minister Julia Carsten along with other CDU Leaders and local Party workers attended the event and praised the contribution of the Indian community. A large number of Indian students also participated in this inaugural Diwali celebration.
The event featured a vibrant showcase of Indian culture, including energetic Bhangra performances.Earlier, the Indian consulate in Hamburg shared a post on X and stated, "Together with @IndiaInHamburg, the Parliamentary group of CDU of Schleswig-Holstein invites you to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Diwali, at the CDU-Fraktion, Landeshaus Kiel. You are welcome to join and celebrate an evening full of lights, joy, and togetherness!."
Meanwhile, on the occasion of India-Germany 25 years of strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the significance of the strategic partnership and described Europe as a crucial strategic region for India in terms of trade and geopolitical ties.
He also called Germany one of India's most important partners.The remarks by PM Modi came while addressing the News9 Global Summit."The theme of this summit is India-Germany: A Roadmap for sustainable growth. This theme is a symbol of the responsible partnership of both countries," the Prime Minister said.
He added, "Europe is an important strategic region for India, both in terms of geopolitical relations and trade and investment and Germany is one of our most important partners. Indo-German strategic partnership completed 25 years in 2024 and this year has been historic and special for this partnership."
Notably, Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe. It has consistently been among India's top ten global partners and was the seventh-largest trading partner in FY 2020-21 (10th during FY 2021-22 up to October 2021), as per the Embassy of India in Berlin, Germany.