New delhi: India and Spain discussed bilateral cooperation in several areas and regional and global issues of mutual interest during the 8th India-Spain Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that both sides deliberated upon several areas of bilateral cooperation.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Indian delegation was led by Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George, while the Spanish delegation was headed by Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU, and Cooperation of Spain, Diego Martinez Belio. The discussions covered the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including political, economic and commercial, infrastructure, railways, defense and security, science and technology, cultural, tourism, and people-to-people ties.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the flagship bilateral "Make in India C-295" project, anticipating the rollout of the first aircraft from the Airbus-TATA C-295 final assembly line plant in Vadodra next year. Additionally, the two nations agreed that the upcoming 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026 would provide an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Spain attracts a significant number of Indian tourists, with around 250,000 visiting annually. Similarly, there is a growing trend of Spanish tourists visiting India, numbering over 80,000 annually. The consultations also included discussions on the growing India-EU strategic partnership and regional and global issues, including the global fight against terrorism. Both sides looked forward to continuing high-level interactions and exchanges, as well as regular meetings of institutional mechanisms in trade and investment, defense, science and technology, audio-visual co-production, and sustainable urban development.