The cooperation and friendship between Germany and India has a long history: This year, we can look back on 60 years of diplomatic relations with India. Since 2000, Germany and India have been engaged in a Strategic Partnership. Since then, we have continuously developed this special political platform for consultations and cooperation and have given it real political substance. The first Indo-German intergovernmental consultations in New Delhi at the end of May 2011 mark another highlight in the bilateral dialogue and they clearly demonstrate the close and profound relations between India and Germany. Germany and India are partners on an equal footing. We jointly shoulder international responsibility and we are working together closely in the United Nations Security Council, of which both our countries have been members since 1 January 2011. As partners in the G4, we both seek a reform of the Security Council which would adapt the Council, as the centrepiece of world order, to today’s geopolitical conditions. The international and global challenges of our time, in particular globalization, climate change and the sustainable supply of energy for our economies, can only be mastered in collaboration with India. Bilaterally and in international bodies, Germany and India closely coordinate their strategies on how to deal with such challenges. In this endeavour, India is an indispensable partner for us. Economic relations represent an important pillar of our bilateral relations. Germany and India already have extensive experience together in development cooperation, which plays an essential role in the comprehensive, strategic partnership between our two countries. Our economic relations, which are nowadays much more than merely that, have undergone a highly dynamic development in recent years. Today, the Indian market is more interesting and attractive for German business than ever before. The latest statistics on Indo-German trade are impressive and continuously on the rise. A trade volume of EUR 15.1 billion in 2010 – an increase of EUR 2.3 billion compared to the previous year – gives grounds for confidence that the ambitious goal of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to increase the bilateral trade volume to EUR 20 billion by 2012 can still be achieved. India has also established itself as an attractive location for foreign companies. In 2010, German direct investments reached EUR 4.2 billion. However, direct investments are not a one-way street. Indian companies are also increasingly discovering Germany as a location for investments. With the free trade agreement between the EU and India, which is currently at a crucial stage of negotiation, another milestone for more intense economic exchange is being set, from which the economies of both the EU and India will greatly profit. The year of Germany in India “Germany and India 2011-2012 – Infinite Opportunities” offers a unique chance for Germany to present itself as a solid, innovative and creative partner with a wide range of cultural, economic and scientific projects. The series of events will bring Germans and Indians closer together and it will reinforce the friendship between our peoples. The “Business Guide Germany India 2011/2012” is an important work of reference for Indo-German business relations: Those German firms already active in India will have their commitment in India vindicated. For newcomers in India, particularly small and medium-sized companies, the Business Guide can serve as a helping hand and decision-making aid to discover India as a trade partner and business location. I wish you as a user of the “Business Guide Germany India 2011/2012” much success with your business in India.