External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday underlined the importance of enhanced cooperation between India and Spain to address common global threats, with a particular focus on terrorism.
“The world order is clearly undergoing a profound change. It is more imperative than ever before for nations to collaborate on shared challenges. This is particularly the case with respect to combating terrorism, where both India and Spain have been victims. The world must display zero tolerance towards terrorism,” S Jaishankar said in a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares in New Delhi.
Jaishankar highlighted that India and Spain share warm relations founded on democratic values, multilateralism, and respect for a rules-based international system.
“Our political engagement has grown steadily, marked by regular high-level exchanges. India and Spain will celebrate in 2026, this year, the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, as well as the dual Year of Culture tourism and artificial intelligence. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to combine our rich cultural heritage with future-oriented cooperation,” EAM Jaishankar mentioned.
The EAM spoke about India hosting the upcoming AI Impact Summit and described the country’s approach to artificial intelligence as human-centric, inclusive, and responsible. He added that India’s AI strategy aligns closely with European principles regarding ethical and sustainable technology use.
Expanding Economic Cooperation
Jaishankar said that economic partnership remains a key pillar of India-Spain relations.
He noted, “Spain is among India’s important trade partners in the EU, and our bilateral trade and goods have crossed US $ 8 billion in recent years. Spanish companies have made a significant presence in India, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy, urban mobility engineering, water management and smart cities. Indian companies are also active in Spain in IT, pharmaceuticals, and automotive components. We see considerable potential to deepen this business cooperation.”
The EAM highlighted growing defence collaboration, noting that the first ‘Made in India’ C295 aircraft is expected to roll out before September 2026. He also pointed to strong cultural ties, citing the popularity of yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian culture in Spain, as well as rising interest in the Spanish language and culture in India.
“Tourism is also an important and growing pillar of our partnership. People to People links serve as a living bridge between India and Spain. We are committed to facilitating greater mobility, education, exchanges and institutional partnerships,” the EAM concluded.
The meeting reflects India and Spain’s commitment to strengthening security, economic, cultural, and technological collaboration while celebrating seven decades of diplomatic engagement.
