New Delhi, October 23: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be visiting India from October 31 to November 2 this year, confirmed the statement issued by Berlin on Wednesday. Merkel, during the three-day visit, would be holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Her visit comes days after the Indian and German side exchanged pleasantries at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

German ambassador Walter J Lindner had, in August this year, announced that Merkel would be visiting India to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two nations. The envoy had hinted that Merkel would be holding the Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) with Modi during her next visit. Germany Will Not Supply Weapons to Turkey: President Angela Merkel.

The ICG is a strategic meeting which Germany holds only with a select-few nations. The bilateral framework is reserved for for only the "very big and important countries", Lindner had said.

The last interaction between Modi and Merkel took place in April this year, when PM Modi visited Germany for a three-day visit. The two leaders had then deliberated on an  array of topics and issues, including bilateral trade, regional security and counter-terrorism.

Ahead of Merkel's visit, the German-Indian bonhomie was on display when the country strongly backed India on its move to strip Jammu & Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status. In a statement issued by the German envoy, he had stated that Article 370 abrogation in J&K is an "internal matter" -- the point reiterated by India at all multilateral forums.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2019 05:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).