Alberto Rubio
In the presence of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, the Ambassador of India, Dinesh K. Patnaik, stated that “one of our great objectives in the collaboration with Spain is renewable energies” during the reception he gave to celebrate the 75th Republic Day of India.
The Indian ambassador pointed out that “this year we have come to produce 135 GW of renewable energy, which for a country like ours is a huge figure because it represents 25% of the total electricity we produce”. However, he added, “we desperately need renewable energy as we are heavily dependent on coal“. And that is why he underlined his government’s interest in relying on the Spanish energy industry.
In a quick review of bilateral relations, Dinesh K. Patnaik noted that “our trade has reached a very high level”, which currently yields a balance “of over 4 billion” in India’s favour, while cultural ties are very active and cooperation in the defence sector “has been increasing”. Last year Airbus delivered to India the first C295 maritime surveillance aircraft of the 16 to be assembled in Spain. And the ambassador said that “we are also looking at submarines and many other things”.
Minister Óscar Puente recalled that in 2016, when he was still Mayor of Valladolid, the Government sent him on an official visit to India – “It was my first trip and a great opportunity to get to know the country and its people” – and expressed his desire to return this year “to contribute with new Spanish trains and further improve our good relations”.
Both mentioned the special relationship of the Castilian capital with the Asian country, since in addition to being the headquarters of the Casa de la India, as the ambassador recalled, “we have been guests of the Seminci (Valladolid International Film Week), we have participated in the tapas competition and we have held the first edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival in non-English language”.
“Our bilateral relationship continues to be based on three factors that we consider very important: democracy, pluralism and a rich cultural heritage,” Patnaik said. “For India, democracy is non-negotiable, and that is something we share with Spain,” he added, recalling that “in three months’ time we will have elections, in which 900 million voters will participate, the largest exercise of democracy in the world.
Finally, the ambassador referred to the milestones achieved by his country last year, in addition to the presidency of the G20, such as having become the most populous country and the fifth largest economy in the world.
In this respect, however, he was particularly proud of the fact that it was a very important year for women, following the passing of the law reserving 33% of seats for women in both regional and national parliaments. He was also pleased that, for the first time in India, a woman is leading an Air Force fighter squadron and another is commanding an Indian Navy warship. “And moreover, in the team that led the landing of the first spacecraft on the south pole of the moon, more than 50 per cent were women,” he concluded.
