The meetings were attended by representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister of Spain, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the business sector, academia, social organizations, and think tanks
On March 28th, on the sidelines of the II Spain-India Dialogue on Maritime Security, Governance, and Trade in the Indo-Pacific at the Ramón Areces Foundation (FRA, in Spanish), the Spain-India Observatory (SIOb) organized two working meetings with Dr. Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Curator of the Raisina Dialogue and Chair of the T20 India Secretariat.
During the first meeting, the expectations of the Indian Presidency of the G20 were addressed, with the participation of representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister of Spain: Francesc Pont, G20 coordinator, and Pilar Sánchez-Bella, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Relations. Trustees of the Spain-India Council Foundation (SICF) attended, along with government, institutional, and business representatives. The challenges faced by global governance and multilateralism were analyzed, as well as the objectives and priorities of the Indian Presidency. Specific areas of work and collaboration that India will promote in 2023 were also discussed.
The second working meeting focused on the main opportunities and challenges of Indian foreign policy in 2023. Javier Salido, Director General for North America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Pacific at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened this session, which involved representatives from leading Spanish think tanks in foreign policy, as well as experts in South Asia. Trustees of the Spain-India Council Foundation (SICF) also had the opportunity to attend this meeting, where various issues regarding Indian foreign policy were discussed. These included India's relationship with its neighbors, the pursuit of new partnerships and collaborations, the growing interest in Latin America and trilateral cooperation with Spain, the coalition system in the context of geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific, and the importance of the European Union and Spain in the future of Indian foreign policy and defence.
