This was among a slew of decisions announced after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Spanish President Pedro Sanchez in Vadodara, Gujarat on Monday (October 28, 2024).
The two sides have also signed an MoU on Cooperation in the field of Rail Transport and an Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters in addition to deciding to create a Joint Commission under the Audio Visual Co-Production Agreement.
“In Vadodara, held productive discussions with the President of the Government of Spain, Mr. Pedro Sánchez. We took stock of the progress in India-Spain relations across diverse sectors. We wish to add even more momentum in our bilateral ties, especially in trade, commerce, culture, innovation, technology and more,” Prime Minister Modi posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
A high point of President Sanchez’s visit was the joint inauguration, along with Prime Minister Modi, of the Final Assembly Line Plant of C295 Aircraft in Vadodara. The plant has been built by Tata Advanced Systems in collaboration with Airbus Spain. The plant will roll out the first ‘Made in India’ C295 aircraft in 2026, out of a total of 40 aircrafts to be manufactured in India. Airbus Spain is also delivering 16 aircrafts in ‘fly-away’ condition to India, out of which 6 have already been delivered to the Indian Air Force.
This was President Sanchez’s first visit to India and the first visit by a President of the Government of Spain to India after 18 years. He was accompanied by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Minister of Industry and Tourism, and a high-level official and business delegation. During their talks, the two leaders noted that this visit has renewed the bilateral relationship, infusing it with fresh momentum and setting the stage for a new era of enhanced cooperation between the two countries across various sectors, a joint statement said.
According to the joint statement, Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez instructed their teams to continue upgrading the bilateral agenda further and forging cooperation in all dimensions of political, economic, security, defence, people-to-people ties and cultural cooperation.
Boosting Economic and Commercial Cooperation
Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez agreed on the importance of deepening economic ties and exploring strategic cooperation in key sectors such as renewable energy, technology, and sustainable infrastructure. The two leaders looked forward to an early conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on Urban Sustainable Development, the joint statement said.
They also welcomed the Fast Track Mechanism set up in DPIIT India and in the Directorate General of International Trade and Investment, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business in Spain, for facilitating mutual investments in India and Spain.
Recognizing the expertise of Spanish companies in areas such as energy, including renewables, nuclear, and smart grids, food processing, healthcare and health services, automotive and transport infrastructure, including trains, roads, ports and transport network management, the two leaders welcomed further collaboration in these areas.
At the same time, President Sanchez welcomed the positive contributions being made by Indian companies to the Spanish economy in fields such as information technology, pharmaceuticals and automobile and auto components.
Strengthening Cultural and People-to-People Ties
The strong bond of friendship between the two countries is set to get a further boost with the announcement that 2026 will be marked as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and AI. During the year, both sides will make the maximum effort to boost the cultural presence of the other in their museums, art, fairs, film, festivals, literature, meetings of architects and circles of debate and thought.
At the same time, special attention will be paid to ways to increase tourist flows, promote reciprocal investments and share experiences in the many areas of hospitality, architecture, cuisine, marketing, both in urban and rural tourism, which benefits harmonious development and improvement for both countries.
Additionally, officials from India and Spain have finalised the Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 2024-2028.
Another important announcement was the establishment of a Spanish Consulate in Bengaluru and the operationalisation of an Indian Consulate in Barcelona.