Germany sharing 'substantial' information with India on black money

NEW DELHI: Germany is sharing "substantial" information with India on black money stashed overseas and will continue to do so, the country's Ambassador said on Friday.

"Yes. We are doing that. Very substantial kind of information (we are sharing it with India). We are already doing it," German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek told reporters here in response to a volley of questions on the black money issue.

However, he refused to elaborate on the sharing of information saying it was "too technical issue" for him comment.

Matussek said both countries are satisfied with the progress being made in this regard.

"I can say that soon we hope to come to a satisfactory conclusion (on the issue)," he said on the sidelines of an event.

To repeated questions whether Germany is sharing with India the names of those Indians who have accounts abroad, he said: "I don't have it. I don't have the names of the account holders and I don't have the account numbers."

On the Indian Air Force's MMRCA deal, for which Eurofighter Typhoon, built by four nations including Germany has been short-listed, he described India as an "anchor of stability" in the region and said that was why Germany was giving it the best technology it possesses.

Asked whether the ties between India and Germany would be affected if the Eurofighter does not get shortlisted, he said, "We don't take this hypothesis. We will work very very hard to show that our product is a very good product. So we are not talking about Plan B. We are concentrating on Plan A."