German president to arrive in India for 6 days state visit

German President Joachim Gauck will arrive in India Tuesday on a six-day state visit. In a statement, the Indian External Affair Ministry has described this country's relations with Germany as "cordial and close" ahead of President Gauck's visit. "Germany continues to be India's largest trading partner in Europe. India and Germany also work closely together in the international arena," the ministry said in a statement. During the visit, the German president is also expected to meet anti-graft activist-turned politician, Arvind Kejriwal, also the chief minister of the Indian capital, sources said. "The meeting was scheduled sometime back by German Ambassador Michael Steiner. The Indian capital scrapping foreign direct investment (FDI) may figure in the two leaders' talks," the sources said. India and Germany has been strategic partners since 2000, with the latter being the eighth largest foreign direct investor in India. Germany's total FDI in India was 5.2 billion U.S. dollars from 2000-2012.