At his residence in Berlin, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni received the University President, Professor Ulrich Bartosch, Vice President, Professor Bettina Noltenius, the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Professor Maximilian Sailer, and the Chairman of the Neuburger Gesprächskreis e.V., Dr Fritz Audebert.
During the meeting, which lasted about an hour, the participants discussed, among other things, intensifying Indo-German relations and, in particular, the links between universities on the subcontinent and the University of Passau. Indian higher education institutions are important partners of the University of Passau. More than 100 young Indians are currently studying in the City of Three Rivers. "It is immensely valuable for us to learn first-hand what young Indian academics expect from us as a place to study”, says President Bartosch. "We would like to thank Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni for his willingness to actively support our cooperation with Indian partner universities and are particularly looking forward to meeting our Indian community in Passau in June."
The discussion also served to prepare the annual symposium of the Neuburger Gesprächskreis e.V. on Friday, 7 June 2024 in Fürstenzell Monastery. With a focus on "What makes India special?", the programme looks at opportunities and possibilities on the subcontinent. "India is not only the most populous country in the world, but also the largest democracy – with a strong economy whose stock market capitalisation has just overtaken that of China”, says Dr Fritz Audebert, chairman of Neuburger Gesprächskreis. In addition to many exciting speakers from the business world, the German Ambassador to India, Dr Philipp Ackermann, was also invited as guest of honour for the annual symposium. "The commitment of both ambassadors is a real stroke of luck. This gives participants the rare opportunity to experience India from both an inside and outside perspective”, says Audebert. In addition, internationally active, medium-sized companies from the Passau region would have the great opportunity to discuss their interests directly with the top brass of the Indian diplomatic service. "In this way, bilateral ties can be strengthened in the long term."