Eduardo González
India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, was received in Madrid on Tuesday by the King and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, with whom he discussed bilateral relations.
“It is an honour to have visited His Majesty King Felipe VI in Madrid today”, to whom “I conveyed the warm wishes of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, declared the Indian minister through social networks.
Likewise, Jaishankar was received at the La Moncloa Complex by Pedro Sánchez. During the meeting, both discussed cooperation between the two countries in international affairs in areas with shared interests and reaffirmed the commitment of Spain and India to the defence of the multilateral system, according to Moncloa in a press release. Likewise, the President of the Government conveyed to him the intention to continue strengthening economic and commercial relations.
“A sign of this boost to the bilateral relationship is the agreement to celebrate the Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence in 2026 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” added Moncloa.
“I met today with President Sánchez of Spain in Madrid. I conveyed to him the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” declared the head of Indian diplomacy through social networks. “I recalled his successful visit to India (last October), which has reaffirmed our long-standing relationship,” and “I informed him of my conversations in Madrid and the progress of our bilateral agenda,” he added.
The meeting took place a day after Jaishankar’s participation in the Ambassadors’ Conference as a special guest. This is the first participation of a foreign minister in this forum. In addition, the Indian minister was received on Monday by his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was also received by the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, with whom he discussed “various issues related to security” and with the “objective of strengthening relations between both countries in terms of defence and security”, according to the Ministry. They also analysed issues related to defence, security, the fight against terrorism and defence trade.
Jaishankar’s agenda included his participation in the meeting ‘Strategic alliances for a changing world: Spain and India in the 21st century’, with representatives of the Spain-India Council Foundation, at the headquarters of the Ramón Areces Foundation, in Madrid, which Albares also attended.
At the meeting, the Indian minister stated that the collaboration between India and Spain is “relevant in a turbulent world” and advocated strengthening the global economy and ensuring the training and mobility of talent. “Spain is also a partner to deepen our relations with the EU, the Mediterranean and Latin America”, he added, in line with his statements the previous day at his joint press conference with Albares.
“Our governments, businesses and institutions must work together to harness this potential and prepare for the next phase of ties between India and Spain,” he added. “Cooperation between Spain and India at the level of businesses and civil society is key to continuing to strengthen our ties and address major global challenges,” Albares said on social media.
