New Delhi: José Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain, will pay an official visit to India on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during his stay in New Delhi, Albares will hold talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
MEA also said that India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations adding that the bilateral ties got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Spain in 2017. "Albares's visit will be an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various areas including trade, defence, science & technology, innovation, climate, and culture sectors," the MEA statement said.
According to MEA, Spain is India’s eighth largest trade partner in Europe. Bilateral trade between India and Spain from January-December 2020 stood at $5.015 billion. India’s exports stood at $3.765 billion while imports stood at $1.51 billion. India’s top exports to Spain include textiles, organic chemicals, iron, and steel. The visit assumes significance as it is taking place at a time when there has been a shift in the geopolitical scenario with the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Recently, the cooperation between India and Europe has increased significantly. The two global powers are looking at ways to deepen links.
This year there has been a flurry of visits by foreign delegates from the EU including the President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen. During her visit, Ursula highlighted the vast potential of the EU-India strategic partnership and offer the EU perspective on current geopolitical challenges. EU and India share many of the same values and face many of the same challenges. However, this cooperation has yet to reach its full potential. India is also rapidly increasing its position as an economic and regional power.
