Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez to Begin Landmark Visit to Gujarat Today

New Delhi: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will land in Vadodara, Gujarat, in the early hours of Monday, after which he will hold delegation-level talks shortly before noon with Prime Minister Narendra Modi covering the entire range of bilateral relations and also regional and global issues at Laxmi Vilas Palace there. A number of MoUs and agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, which will give a boost to bilateral cooperation. The visit “underscores the importance attached by both countries to their bilateral partnership and the consistent upward trajectory of India-Spain relations in trade, investment, defence cooperation, education, technology, tourism, culture, and people-to-people ties”.

The Spanish PM will earlier on Monday morning participate in a “Shobha Yatra” after which he and Mr Modi will jointly inaugurate the Tata Final Assembly Line Plant Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at Tata Advanced Systems Ltd campus, in collaboration with Airbus Spain, a flagship “Make in India” initiative in the aviation sector. A total of 56 aircraft are envisaged under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and the remaining 40 will be made in India by the Tata company.

This is the first visit by a Spanish PM to India in 18 years. Mr Modi had earlier visited Spain in 2017 during his first term. Spain is also an important member of the European Union. It has cordial ties with India. Mr Sanchez will also visit Mumbai on Tuesday, where he will, apart from other engagements, visit prominent film studios and interact with leading celebrities of the film industry, with the aim of fostering greater collaboration between the Indian and Spanish entertainment industries. In Mumbai, he will also interact with trade and industry leaders and think tanks, and address the fourth Spain India Forum organised by the Spain India Council Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation.

It may be noted that trade ties between the two countries are robust, with bilateral trade having stood at $9.9 billion in 2023, with India exporting $7.17 billion goods and importing $2.74 billion. Spain is also the 16th largest investor in India with cumulative FDI stock of $4.2 billion (April 2000-June 2024). There are also more than 230 Spanish companies active in India and around 80 Indian companies in Spain. People to people ties are also strong and growing. The Indian diaspora in Spain is 75,000 strong, and is concentrated in Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and the Canary Islands. India’s consulate-general in Barcelona is operational, while Spain plans to open a consulate in Bengaluru in the near future.