Discover India in Hamburg

HAMBURG, Germany, October 11, 2011 -

- India Week Hamburg 2011

For the fourth time since 2007, Hamburg will be celebrating the city’s close and friendly relations with India as this year’s India Week Hamburg 2011 will be taking place from 16 to 23 October. Today, Mr Wolfgang Schmidt, State Councillor and Hamburg’s Delegate for Federal, European and Foreign Affairs, and Ms M. Subashini, India’s Consul General in Hamburg, presented the programme of events to the public.

A week packed with more than 40 events will pay witness to the versatile relationships between India and Hamburg. During talks and panel discussions, experts will be discussing economic relations, e.g. in the field of renewable energy and aviation, while also addressing political and social developments in India. The cultural programme comprises screenings, concerts, dance and theatre performances, exhibitions and arts projects. At the Senate’s reception on 17 October, Indian delegations will be welcomed to Hamburg, among them Thomas Matussek, Germany’s ambassador to India, as well as environmental activist Vandana Shiva.

During the presentation of the India Week 2011, State Councillor Wolfgang Schmidt said: “India ranks next to China as Hamburg’s major Asian trading partner. But also in science, education, ecology and culture, we are maintaining a lively exchange. Relations are strong, and yet we would like to identify ways of enhancing collaboration, unearth future potential, assess potential risks, and, most importantly, discover further opportunities. The India Week is the ideal platform for addressing all these questions.”

“Hamburg plays a significant role in promoting Indo-German relations in trade and economic fields, in science & technology, education & culture. India is growing at the rate of 8 per cent but still there are challenges in terms of improvement of infrastructure sector such as roads, ports, food processing industry, airports and energy. Renewable energy sector and maritime industry are two sectors with a lot of potential to tap into for enhancing the relationship between India and Hamburg. India Week will certainly provide Hamburg businesses a window to learn a little more about the opportunities available in India and also to understand Indian culture,” added Ms M. Subashini, India‘s Consul General in Hamburg.

Some of the projects and programmes will continue beyond the India Week, for instance the Yamuna-Elbe river project in New Delhi and the Bitfilm Festival in Bangalore. What is more, at the 823rd port anniversary celebrations in Hamburg in May 2012, India will present itself again as a partner country.

The project at a glance: India Week Hamburg is a biannual programme of events that addresses current developments in India’s economy, politics and culture and India’s relations with Hamburg and Northern Germany. Funded by the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, this initiative is supported by numerous stakeholders from Northern Germany, among them the German Indian Round Table (GIRT), the Hamburg Senate, the Hamburg Cultural Authority, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the HWF Hamburg Business Development Corporation. For further information and dates, please visit www.indiaweek-english.hamburg.de

Press contact:
Ms Anette Boos, Hamburg Marketing GmbH
Phone: +49(0)40-411110629, anette.boos@marketing.hamburg.de

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