Ranchi (Jharkhand): German Ambassador to India, Philip Ackermann held talks with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and discussed coal mining, which is important for the state and Germany. Ackermann, in conversation with ANI, said that Soren is a thoughtful man when it comes to such complex operations. "So the Chief Minister is a very thoughtful man when it comes to this transition, transition complex. It's a very, very difficult plan, and I think he's somebody who thinks about it a lot and has a lot of ideas, and we had a very substantive discussion on it," he said. Ackermann said that Soren intends to visit Germany soon to see some German coal mines that have been transformed to parks or business opportunities. "It was a bit along the lines that we heard on the podium tonight, but I can tell you that the Chief Minister intends to visit Germany at some stage in order to get an idea and some inspiration on how the German way to organise the transition works," he said. "So he wants to go to see some German coal mines that have been transformed to parks or business opportunities or even museums and to get some ideas. One, it's not a solution that will fit 100 per cent for India, but I think you can have some, you can get some inspiration. You can get some ideas from a trip to Germany. So I'm very, very happy that he intends to do that," he added. Ackermann said that Jharkhand plays a major role in Green and Sustainable Development and has flagged several projects with Germany. He added that Germany would love to host him. "We'll welcome him wholeheartedly in Germany. I think it's a very, very host we will be happy to see in Germany and organise a nice programme for him. So as you know, we are in this partnership of the green and sustainable development. Jharkhand has a big role in this partnership. We do projects on many levels in Jharkhand, and the transition project hopefully will also see the light of the day, not so far future," he said. He said that coal in Germany and Jharkhand is different, and there are mines in Germany that have been closed. He said that they will also discuss the impact of the same with Soren. "It's different, of course, because the coal is different, you know, it's also the coal mines in Germany, most of them of the black coal mines have been closed by now so but the same, you know, impact on the population is there. So, what do people do when you close the coal mines? What is their next livelihood? Where do they, you know, earn their money and increase their prosperity, and that's similar, and I think there we can sit together and discuss," he said. Talking about his meeting with Ackermann, Soren said in a post on X, "Pleased to welcome Dr. Philipp Ackermann, Ambassador of Germany to India, in Ranchi today. We had a fruitful discussion on avenues of collaboration on mutual interests. Jharkhand is keen to deepen ties with Germany and explore shared opportunities."
