Had a very good interaction with German Chancellor Angela Merkel: PM Narendra Modi

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, walk through the garden of the government guest house Meseberg Palace, during a meeting in Meseberg, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) north on Berlin, Monday, May 29, 2017. AP/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Germany on Monday as part of his four-nation European tour, met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the official retreat for Chancellor Merkel, Schloss Meseberg, 80 km northwest of Berlin. During the meeting, the prime minister signed the Visitor’s Book of the 18th-century palace. He also took a stroll of Schloss Meseberg garden with Merkel where the two leaders held talks. Prime Minister is expected to dine alone with the Chancellor there. After the meeting, PM modi took to social media and said that he had a good interaction with the German Chancellor. “Had a very good interaction with Chancellor Merkel,” Modi said in a tweet.

Had a very good interaction with Chancellor Merkel. pic.twitter.com/5SQb5l205M

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2017

Earlier in the day, PM Modi was interviewed by German newspaper ‘Handelsblatt’ after he reached Berlin. Speaking to the newspaper, Modi said described terrorism as the “gravest challenge” in front of the world. “To our mind, terrorism is the gravest challenge facing humanity. Europe must play a lead role in developing an effective global response under the aegis of the United Nations to deal with this menace,” Modi had said.

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Schloss Meseberg, Germany pic.twitter.com/4WfqZSUm0J

— ANI (@ANI_news) May 29, 2017

Ahead of the visit, PM Modi, in a Facebook post, described his visit to Germany as a “new chapter” in bilateral relations. “I am confident that this visit will open a new chapter in our bilateral cooperation with Germany and further deepen our strategic partnership,” he wrote. He further said that the visit will help in building a future of cooperation in various sectors between the two nations. Modi said that he and Merkel will “chart out a future roadmap of cooperation with focus on trade and investment, security and counter-terrorism, innovation and science and technology, skill development, urban infrastructure, railways and civil aviation, clean energy, development cooperation, health and alternative medicine.”

Later PM Modi is expected to hold a phone call with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. After Germany, the prime minister is expected to visit Spain, Russia and France, in a bid to boost bilateral and economic relations as part of the tour.