The Diplomat
The ambassador of India in Spain, Dinesh K. Patnaik, highlighted yesterday, in a meeting held with partners of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (Ceapi), the potential of the Indo-Ibero-American relationship.
The meeting, which took place at the Pérez-Llorca Offices, was attended by the president of Ceapi, Núria Vilanova, and focused on the growing investments of emerging countries in Ibero-America.
During his speech, the ambassador pointed out that India has an excellent relationship with Spain and highlighted the increase in trade exchanges with Ibero-America, pointing out that they exceed 50 billion dollars.
Spain’s potential as an important bridge to Latin America makes it a crucial element to promote trilateral ties. Spain can also diversify its traditional markets and boost its economic presence in the Indo-Pacific through India.
In his speech, Ambassador Patnaik added that India looks to the future with confidence, and stressed that it is already the fifth largest economy in the world and will be the third largest by the end of this decade.
In this sense, he explained that its economic strengths are complementary with the economies of Ibero-America, given its advantages of having a young and highly qualified workforce, its skill in low-cost manufacturing, its well-diversified economy and its capabilities. technological.
For the ambassador, his country is a space power and the world’s pharmacy, in reference to the fact that its supply of low-cost vaccines during the pandemic has saved countless lives in several countries.
On that and many other key issues affecting the Global South, India has played a key leadership role, Patnaik noted, adding that “the India-Ibero-America partnership is truly a win-win relationship and we should all strive to strengthen it further.”
For her part, Núria Vilanova, in her welcoming remarks, highlighted that “Ibero-America matters more and more, India and Ibero-American countries are committed to intensifying their relationship. “Ibero-America,” she said, “can be a geopolitical ally and reliable supplier of energy and raw materials to guarantee and preserve stability and strategic autonomy. Strengthening ties between these regions would benefit us in aspects such as food and energy security, health as a global public good and the knowledge economy, as well as the expansion of markets in the world.”
