The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, inaugurates the 4th Spain-India Forum

Held in Mumbai, it brought together 200 participants to discuss the “Spain-India Partnership in the Face of Geopolitical and Technological Challenges: New Horizons, New Possibilities

The Spain-India Council Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) held the fourth edition of the Spain-India Forum on October 29 in Mumbai (India). The event, held under the title “Spain-India Partnership in the Face of Geopolitical and Technological Challenges: New Horizons, New Possibilities”, was inaugurated by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, who was on an official visit to the Asian country.

The Spain-India Forum is an initiative of the Spain-India Council Foundation designed to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. First held in 2014, it brings together Indian and Spanish experts, academics, and leaders to discuss issues of common interest and strengthen cooperation in various fields. This edition gathered more than 200 participants with the aim of expanding the Spain-India relationship through public-private collaboration.

The President of the Government inaugurated the event together with the Vice President of the Spain-India Council Foundation, Juan Ignacio Entrecanales, Executive Vice Chairman of Acciona; the Vice President of ORF Mumbai, Jaibal Naduvath; and Dinesh Patnaik, Ambassador of India to Spain. | Read the transcript of the President of the Government’s speech.

In his remarks, Pedro Sánchez highlighted that “since its creation in 2009, the Spain-India Council Foundation has promoted mutual understanding between the two countries. Over the past fifteen years, the world has evolved and our ties have grown stronger. Today’s Forum is an example of this: fostering closer dialogue between the private sector, civil society, and academia is of incalculable value for our mutual understanding.”

The President of the Government also underlined initiatives such as the Spain-India Report, published in 2020, and the creation of the Spain-India Observatory, which he described as “excellent tools to consolidate this relationship. Spain and India already share strong ties, but much more can be done. More business, more investment, more cooperation, more exchanges… And let me be clear: I am very optimistic about this, because I see the potential and, most importantly, the willingness on both sides.”

He also pointed out several reasons why Spain and India should work even more closely together. First, to defend and strengthen multilateral institutions based on three principles: defending and safeguarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations; protecting civil rights and providing humanitarian aid to those in need; and defending human rights and democracy.

The President then spoke on the main topics of this edition of the Forum: Spain-India cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and opportunities for collaboration in technology and Artificial Intelligence.

Regarding the growing global importance of the Asian region, Pedro Sánchez announced that “Spain is working on the launch of our new strategy for Asia, a strategy that will revitalize our relations with this part of the world.” He also referred to the “security challenges” facing global maritime trade: “Since this region possesses significant strategic natural resources, such as oil, fisheries, and critical mineral reserves, the security challenges are even more significant here. Therefore, we must protect the freedom of navigation and overflight. India and Spain must contribute to a secure Indo-Pacific.”

The President also addressed the increasing importance of Artificial Intelligence, another of the central themes of the Spain-India Forum. He stressed that “as our countries continue to enhance their technological skills and capabilities, AI and cooperation in AI can transform key sectors and can also help tackle the challenges posed by the spread of disinformation, which threatens our democracies.” For this reason, he emphasized, “international cooperation on AI is essential for a safer, more equal, and more open world.”

Finally, Pedro Sánchez recalled that the governments of India and Spain “have agreed that in 2026 we will celebrate the Spain-India Year of Culture, Tourism, and Artificial Intelligence. This provides us with a clear horizon to work hand in hand, and I am convinced that the Spain-India Council Foundation will play an essential role in ensuring its success.”

The President’s remarks were preceded by the opening speeches of the representatives of the two organizing foundations and the Ambassador of India to Spain.

Juan Ignacio Entrecanales, President of the Spain-India Council Foundation and Vice Chairman of ACCIONA, expressed his gratitude for Pedro Sánchez’s presence and his support for the work of the Council Foundation. He noted that this Spain-India Forum is “a catalyst to foster bilateral relations between Spain and India in key sectors” and agreed with the Spanish President that “the launch of the Spain-India Observatory was a significant achievement. This outstanding platform aims to serve both civil societies through research, monitoring, and dialogue.”

4th Spain-India Forum: New Opportunities Across a Wide Range of Sectors

Juan Ignacio Entrecanales also stated that “Spain and India have already demonstrated success in their collaboration across many sectors—renewables, food processing, automotive components—but there are still many opportunities ahead: university partnerships, water treatment, urban development, sustainable energy…”

He also emphasized that the alliance between the Spain-India Council Foundation and ORF aims to “continue strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region and enable Spain and India to lead the global approach to Artificial Intelligence. Our challenge is to maintain the momentum of this strong bilateral relationship to open new chapters that allow civil society to work even more closely together, both in India and in Spain.”

Next, Jaibal Naduvath, Vice President of ORF, expressed gratitude for the presence of the President of the Government and highlighted the potential of Spain-India cooperation: “Expanding our collaboration by leveraging our complementary strengths in emerging technologies, and together with our coalitions of like-minded partners, will benefit our two countries and far beyond (…) Our foundation, ORF, is also built on shared values and will serve as a springboard for our joint efforts to address challenges such as global inequality, geopolitical debates, the health crisis, and the disruptions caused by emerging technologies.”

Finally, India’s Ambassador to Spain, Dinesh K. Patnaik, stressed the importance of Pedro Sánchez’s visit to the Asian country and remarked that “this is a relationship that should have emerged much earlier, because we share so much—not only democratic values, but also the fight against terrorism, the effort to bring technology and inclusion to our societies, with everything we have in common.”

The Ambassador also highlighted Spain’s technological and infrastructure capacity, and stressed the need to “combine Spain’s technology with India’s talent.” He further emphasized the important cultural exchange between the two countries, citing as an example the work of Casa de la India, “the only public-private partnership of its kind we have anywhere in the world.”

Among the aspects of the bilateral relationship that could be improved, the Ambassador underscored “banking, connectivity, and talent. If we can focus on these three major elements, we can make a real difference in our relationship.”

First Panel of the 4th Spain-India Forum

After the inauguration, the Forum continued with two sessions featuring experts from both countries. The first session was entitled “Spain and India in the Indo-Pacific: Joint Strategies for Regional Security and Prosperity.”

Moderated by Harsh V. Pant, Vice President of Studies and Foreign Policy at ORF, the panel included, on the Spanish side, Elena Gómez Castro, Ambassador at Large for the Indo-Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and José Eugenio Salarich, former Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry.

On the Indian side, participants included Gautam Bambawale, former Ambassador of India to China and Bhutan and former High Commissioner to Pakistan; Shivali Lawale, Director of the Symbiosis School of International Studies; and Girish Luthra, former Commander-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command and Distinguished Fellow at ORF.

First Panel of the 4th Spain-India Forum: Key Takeaways

Second Panel of the 4th Spain-India Forum

The second session, entitled “Technology and Democracy: Spain-India Opportunities”, was moderated by Sameer Patil, Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at ORF.

The panel featured Imma Turbau Fuertes, CEO and Founder of CONTAINER (Spain), and Varun Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Mathaphy Labs (India).

This was followed by a roundtable discussion titled “Forging Futures in AI: India-Spain Collaboration for a Thriving Global Ecosystem.” Participants included, alongside Imma Turbau and Varun Sharma, Guillermo López, Spanish diplomat and AI expert, and Anulekha Nandi, Technology, Economy and Society expert at ORF.

Second Panel of the 4th Spain-India Forum: Key Takeaways