Indian Leaders learned about the state of bilateral relations and plans in Economic Diplomacy at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. VII edition activity summary
The Indian Leaders met at the Marqués de Salamanca headquarters of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Carmen Cano, Deputy Director General for South and East Asia; Luis Mateos, Deputy Director General for Bilateral Economic Relations and Economic Diplomacy; and Ana Esmeralda Martínez, Director General for Economic Diplomacy.
The highest authority in economic diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured the Leaders that India is a priority and strategic country for Spain, with which it is necessary to strengthen political, economic and social ties. This is a key year, she said, due to the visits to India planned by the Spanish authorities, which aim to relaunch bilateral relations with that country. There are sectors in which there are great opportunities for cooperation, such as infrastructure, renewables, innovation, or Smart Cities. Likewise, both countries are committed to the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda.
On the other hand, the Indian Leaders noted the great opportunities for collaboration between the two countries. Raja Gopal Sunkara, Municipal Commissioner of Coimbatore, encouraged fostering mutual understanding between the two countries. For example, he highlighted the great potential of his city in automotive components, a sector in which Spain is an international benchmark. Lochan Sehra, municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad, encouraged seeking ways of cooperation in waste management. City-city cooperation will help cities to grow and face current challenges, but G2G and B2B contact will also be key to boost relationships. He warned about the challenges that climate change brings to cities, so it will be necessary to join efforts to mitigate its effects.
Saurabh Jain advocates a Spain-India collaboration with a long-term vision between the two countries, and focused on the exchange of human resources. Likewise, it would be very beneficial to put in contact and strengthen relations between both start-up ecosystems, which have a great interest in expanding to other markets. Rahul Kapoor, in his capacity as director of India's Ministry of Urban Affairs and Housing, informed the Ministry of Spain that the Indian government is making a great effort to attract foreign investment to achieve its goal of becoming a five trillion-dollar economy. With that goal in mind, it needs to seek partners and foster long-term collaborations with other countries. Spain and India's shared values place us in a privileged position.