India & Spain vow to add new depth, content to ties

Both welcome restart of EU Free Trade talks

During talks between external affairs minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and his visiting Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares in New Delhi on Wednesday, the two nations expressed satisfaction over strengthening of ties in various sectors, including defence and also “welcomed the restart of the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations later this month”.

Spain is a member of the EU and the two ministers also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific region, with New Delhi saying there were “detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, peopleto-people relationship, climate cooperation, green energy, science and technology, innovation and defence & security”.

It may be recalled that in May last year, both India and the EU had agreed to resume negotiations for an FTA after a gap of eight years. It may also be recalled that FTA negotiations between India and the EU had been suspended way back in 2013 during the tenure of the then UPA-2 government. The two ministers agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation and also welcomed signing of the defence contract between the two nations that had taken place in September last year as part of which Airbus Spain will supply 56 C295 transport aircraft, 40 of which would be made in India.

In a statement, the MEA said, “José Manuel Albares, minister of foreign affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain, paid his first official visit to India on June 15. EAM S. Jaishankar held bilateral talks with the visiting Spanish foreign minister where they reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relationship. The two ministers committed to add new depth and content to the relationship.”

◗ INDIA AND SPAIN also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific region, with New Delhi saying there were ‘detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas’