India, Spain Strengthen Ties on Trade, Defence & Counter-Terrorism

EAM Jaishankar expressed gratitude to Spain for its support for deepening ties between India and European Union in various sectors.

"Held wide-ranging discussions this morning with FM Jose Manuel Albares of Spain on our bilateral cooperation and world affairs. Spoke about trade, investments, defence, technology, education and people to people ties. Reaffirmed our strong political dialogue," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

"Thank Spain for it's support for deeper India - EU ties across different domains. Also welcome Spain joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative," he added.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, EAM Jaishankar stressed the need for closer collaboration between India and Spain on shared challenges, particularly in combating terrorism, amid a shift in the global order.

"The world order is clearly undergoing a profound change. It is more imperative than ever before for nations to collaborate on shared challenges. This is particularly the case with respect to combating terrorism, where both India and Spain have been victims. The world must display zero tolerance towards terrorism," he said.

The EAM emphasised that both nations enjoy warm and friendly relations rooted in shared democratic values and respect for multilateralism and a rule-based order. Both India and Spain will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026.

Highlighting that India will host the AI Impact Summit next month, EAM Jaishankar said that the country's approach to AI is human-centric, inclusive, and focused on responsible and ethical use -- an outlook he said closely aligns with Europe. The EAM further noted that economic partnership is an important pillar of the bilateral relationship.

"Spain is among India's important trade partners in the EU, and our bilateral trade and goods have crossed USD 8 billion in recent years. Spanish companies have made a significant presence in India, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy, urban mobility engineering, water management and smart cities. Indian companies are also active in Spain in IT, pharmaceuticals, and automotive components. We see considerable potential to deepen this business cooperation," he added.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Albares underscored India's growing importance as a trusted international partner and emphasised the need to deepen bilateral cooperation. He stressed that finalising the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would signal a meaningful step forward.

"It's very important for Spain to foster our relationship with such a reliable country like India, a country that believes in international law, that upholds the principles of the United Nations charter, and that believes in multilateralism. A very good sign would be the final agreement of the FTA with the European Union that we very much would love to see being put forward," the Spanish Foreign Minister mentioned.

He stated that Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will soon visit India and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be able to visit Spain soon.

"We are going to continue working bilaterally through the European Union, as well as the multilateral sphere. We will be very happy to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean initiative, and I have brought the letter to you to mark that moment," he said.

- IANS