India's dependency on Russian weapons is not in Berlin's interest: German defense chief

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Germany’s defense minister said Monday that it is not in his country’s interest for India to remain dependent on Russian weapons.

In an interview with German public broadcaster DW, Boris Pistorius noted that, however, that "it is not up to Germany to change that on our own."

"This is an issue we have to solve jointly with other partners. But of course, we can't have an interest in the long run that India is so dependent on Russia's delivery of weapons or other materials," he noted.

He made the remarks in the Indonesian capital Jakarta ahead of his four-day trip to India.

"I want to send a signal that we are willing to support our partners, our reliable partners like Indonesia, like India, and that includes, for example, the possibility of delivering submarines,” added Pistorius, who kicked off his Asia tour in Singapore.

Noting that the Indo-Pacific region "will be shaping the 21st century in regards to security, freedom of navigation (and) international economic challenges," he said the region "is important not only for Germany but for Europe as a whole," DW reported.