India asks for Spain’s support to “deepen” its relations with the EU

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, met this Monday in Madrid with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who asked for the support of "the voice of Spain" to "deepen" his country's relations with the European Union. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is in Madrid to, among other activities, participate in the IX Conference of Ambassadors, held this week at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Plaza del Marqués de Salamanca, in Madrid. He is the first minister of a foreign country to speak at this forum, which brings together the 130 Spanish ambassadors accredited throughout the world. During his address to the ambassadors, the Indian minister spoke of “how nations draw on their culture, traditions and heritage to present their distinctive style of diplomacy”, stated that countries “that are comfortable with multiple identities will navigate more successfully in these volatile and uncertain times” and highlighted that “India’s ties with Spain and the EU can be a stabilising factor in these turbulent times”. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar later held a bilateral meeting, followed by a working lunch, with José Manuel Albares at the ministerial headquarters of the Viana Palace. The head of Indian diplomacy is scheduled to meet this Tuesday at the La Moncloa Complex with the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. He will also be received by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and will participate alongside Albares in a meeting with representatives of the Spain-India Council Foundation at the headquarters of the Ramón Areces Foundation, in Madrid. At the press conference after the bilateral meeting, Albares stated that the objective of the meeting with his Indian counterpart was to “consolidate the relaunch of bilateral relations to place them at the level that corresponds to them” and to resume the agenda of the visit made at the end of October by Pedro Sánchez to India, in which he signed with the Prime Minister of this country, Narendra Modi, a Joint Declaration that will serve as a bilateral roadmap for the coming years in the political, economic and commercial, cultural, scientific, technological, innovation, consular affairs and tourism and relations. Albares also reported that both ministers had just signed two agreements on sustainable urban development and sports cooperation and highlighted the celebration, in 2026, of the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence, which will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and will include “numerous joint activities.” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also referred to the “successful visit” of Pedro Sánchez (the first visit by a Spanish president to India since that of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2007) and to the “significant progress” that the two countries have made in terms of bilateral cooperation “in recent years”. According to the Indian minister, bilateral trade currently amounts to 10 billion euros and his country offers “great investment opportunities” in sectors such as rail transport (during Sánchez’s visit a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the railway sector was signed, which will include the planning, design, development, construction, commissioning and operation of infrastructure, as well as the management and operation of rail transport and train maintenance), urban technology, smart cities and clean and efficient technologies. “We currently have 230 Spanish companies in India and we welcome many more to come,” added Jaishankar, who stressed the importance of “intensifying cooperation in defence and security” and promoting “the flow of talent between the two countries”, especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence, which requires “greater mobility of qualified workers”. On the other hand, the head of Indian diplomacy highlighted “the role and influence of Spain within the EU” and assured that his country wants “greater collaboration with the EU”. “Spain’s voice would allow us to deepen this relationship,” he said. “We would appreciate its help in increasing cooperation with the EU,” he added. According to Jaishankar, Spain could also provide great support to India in its objective of “playing a leading role in the Mediterranean” in terms of investments, defence and security and green hydrogen.

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