Spanish President arrives today to inaugurate C-295 aircraft manufacturing plant with Prime Minister Modi

YEARS |
Updated: October 27, 2024 01:03 EAST

New Delhi [India]October 27 (ANI): Spanish President Pedro Sanchez will pay a three-day visit to India starting October 27 during which he will hold talks as a delegation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two leaders will inaugurate the C295 aircraft final assembly line plant in Vadodara, a flagship 'Make in India' initiative in the aerospace sector, set up by Tata Advanced Systems in collaboration with Airbus Spain.
This is President Sánchez's first visit to India. The visit of the Spanish president takes place after 18 years. Previously, Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez met several times on the sidelines of multilateral meetings, an MEA statement said.
President Sánchez will also travel to Mumbai where, in addition to his official engagements, he will interact with leaders of trade and industry, think tanks and the film industry.
He will speak at the 4th Spain-India Forum organized by the Spain-India Council Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation. He will visit prominent film studios where he will interact with celebrities from the Indian film industry, with the aim of fostering greater collaboration between the Indian and Spanish media and entertainment industries.
A number of MoUs/agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, which will provide a boost to bilateral cooperation.
India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations.
Bilateral relations gained new impetus after Prime Minister Modi's visit to Spain in 2017.
The communiqué indicates that President Sanchez's visit will be an opportunity to review all of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership in various sectors, including trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energies, defense and security, pharmaceuticals, agro-industry. technology and biotechnology, culture and tourism.

India and Spain established diplomatic relations in 1956 and the two countries maintain cordial relations.
Spain is a constitutional monarchy with King Felipe VI as its current head of state. In the Spanish system, the head of government, the equivalent of the Prime Minister, is called President of the Government.
Pedro Sánchez is the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). The last visit to India by a Spanish president was in 2006, when President José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero visited India. King Juan Carlos I visited India in 2012 on a state visit.
Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez have previously met at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires in 2018 and in Rome in 2021. Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez spoke over the phone in February last year.
Trade relations between the two countries are strong and growing. Bilateral trade stood at $9.9 billion in 2023, with India exporting $7.17 billion and importing $2.74 billion.
Spain is the 16th largest investor in India, with a cumulative FDI stock of USD 4.2 billion (April 2000-June 2024).
There are more than 230 Spanish companies active in India and around 80 Indian companies in Spain.
The Indian diaspora in Spain numbers 75,000 people and is concentrated in Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and the Canary Islands. India's Consulate General in Barcelona has been operational while Spain plans to open its consulate in Bangalore soon.
The visit highlights the importance placed by both countries on their bilateral partnership and the steady upward trajectory of Indo-Spanish relations in the areas of trade, investment, defense cooperation, education, technology, tourism, culture and connections between peoples. (ANI)