New Delhi, Nov 20 : German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal KrishnaAdvani in New Delhi on Thursday.

Steinmeier is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the course of his visit.

Steinmeier, who is also vice-chancellor of Germany, is on a three-day maiden visit to India, to discuss various bilateral issues including enhancing trade ties between the two countries.

Issues like current global economic crisis and environment protection are likely to be the focus during his visit.

The issue of escalating violence in Afghanistan is also expected to come up during his discussions with Indian leaders.

A delegation of businessmen is also accompanying Steinmeier.

Germany is building up its presence in India and Steinmeier will inaugurate new German Consulate General in IT city Bangalore.

Germany is India''s sixth largest trading partner and seventh largest foreign investor in India.

Bilateral trade between India and Germany is growing steadily, with more and more German companies investing in India.

According to reports, trade between the two countries doubled in last three years to 12 billion euros. (ANI)