India and Spain vow to fight terror, improve ties

PRofound changes in the domain prescribe do it imperative for countries to get together on shared challenges, extraneous affairs minister S Jaishankar told his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares as they met in New Delhi on Wednesday to review cooperation in trade, defence and security.Terrorism, which has affected India and Spain, is among these shared challenges, and the world must display “zero tolerance” towards the menace, Jaishankar said. Both sides condemned all forms of terrorism and emphasised the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism.The two leaders reviewed the gamut of bilateral ties, including trade, investment, defence and security, tourism and people-to-people relations. Spain is among India’s key trade partners in the European Union (EU), with trade in goods surpassing $8 billion. Indian companies are active in Spain in IT, pharmaceuticals and automotive components.“The world order is clearly undergoing a profound change. It is more imperative than ever before for nations to collaborate on shared challenges,” Jaishankar said. He noted that India and Spain have friendly relations rooted in shared democratic values and respect for multilateralism and a rules-based order.He also thanked Spain for supporting deeper India-EU relations and welcomed Madrid’s decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). Both sides are also committed to facilitating greater mobility and educational exchanges, he said.While referring to India’s efforts to build resilient manufacturing capabilities, Jaishankar pointed to the joint project to build C-295 military transport aircraft at an assembly line in Vadodara. The Indian Air Force is acquiring 56 C-295 aircraft under a deal worth ₹ 21,935 crore with Airbus Defence and Space, Spain, and 40 of them will be built in India.“We are expecting the first ‘Made in India’ C-295 aircraft to roll out of the factory before September this year,” Jaishankar said, noting that this reflects the growing depth of defence industrial collaboration.Ahead of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India next month, Jaishankar said the country’sapproach to artificial intelligence is human-centric, inclusive and focused on itsresponsible and ethical use. “I think it is very similar to the approach of Europe,” he added.The ministers also discussed recent developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and exchanged views on other issues of shared interest.India and Spain will celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026 and Jaishankar and Albares launched a logo to commemorate the year as the “dual year” of culture and tourism and AI. The logo was selected from 1,900 entries received through an open competition.