Spanish President Pedro Sanchez to arrive in India on October 27
| 2024-10-24
This will be Spanish President Pedro Sanchez's first visit to India. (Photo courtesy: X/@sanchezcastejon)
Bilateral ties between the two nations got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Modi visited Spain in 2017
Bilateral ties between India and Spain are set to get a boost with the upcoming visit of Spanish President Pedro Sanchez. President Sanchez, accompanied by his spouse Begona Gomez, will be on an official visit to India from October 27-29, 2024. This will be his first visit to the country.
Announcing the visit on Wednesday (October 23, 2024), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a Spanish President is visiting India after 18 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Sanchez have had several meetings earlier, on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
President Sanchez will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi; the discussions are expected to cover the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on President Sanchez during his visit, the MEA said.
India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations. Bilateral ties between the two nations got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Modi visited Spain in 2017.
President Sanchez’s visit will be an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various sectors including trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energy, defence and security, pharma, Agro-tech and Bio-tech, culture and tourism, the MEA stated.
PM Modi, President Sanchez to Inaugurate C295 Aircraft Plant
A high point of the visit will be the inauguration of the Final Assembly Line Plant of C295 aircraft at Vadodara in Gujarat by Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez. A flagship "Make in India” initiative in the aviation sector, the plant is being set up by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in collaboration with Airbus Spain.
It may be recalled that India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) on September 8, 2021 to replace the ageing AVRO fleet. The C-295MW aircraft is a transport aircraft of 5-10 Tonne capacity with contemporary technology. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.
According to the terms of the contract, Airbus is to deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by TASL in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. All 56 aircraft will be installed with indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite, said an Indian government statement issued after the CCS approval.
The first C295 aircraft was delivered to the Indian Air Force in September 2023. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari formally received symbolic keys to this aircraft at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain.
Strong Economic and Commercial Ties
Economic and commercial linkages are an important component of India's bilateral ties with Spain. While in India, President Sanchez will also visit Mumbai, where, apart from official engagements, he will interact with trade and industry leaders, think tanks and the film industry. A number of MoUs/ Agreements are expected to be signed during the visit which shall give a fillip to bilateral cooperation, the MEA said.
According to official data, Spain is India's 6th largest trade partner in the European Union. Bilateral trade in goods in 2023 stood at US$ 8.25 billion, growing by 4.2% over a similar period a year ago. India's exports grew by 5.2% and stood at US$ 6.33 billion, while imports grew by 1.05% to reach US$1.92 billion.
India's top exports to Spain are mineral fuels,mineral oils and products of their distillation, chemical products, iron and steel, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, articles of apparel and clothing accessories (knitted and non knitted), nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, marine products and articles of iron and steel.
India and Spain have strong economic relations too. Spain is the 16th largest investor in India with cumulative FDI stock of US$ 3.94 billion (April 2000 - December 2023). At the same time, Indian investments in Spain are around US$ 900 million.
Announcing the visit on Wednesday (October 23, 2024), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a Spanish President is visiting India after 18 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Sanchez have had several meetings earlier, on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
President Sanchez will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi; the discussions are expected to cover the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on President Sanchez during his visit, the MEA said.
India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations. Bilateral ties between the two nations got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Modi visited Spain in 2017.
President Sanchez’s visit will be an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various sectors including trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energy, defence and security, pharma, Agro-tech and Bio-tech, culture and tourism, the MEA stated.
PM Modi, President Sanchez to Inaugurate C295 Aircraft Plant
A high point of the visit will be the inauguration of the Final Assembly Line Plant of C295 aircraft at Vadodara in Gujarat by Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez. A flagship "Make in India” initiative in the aviation sector, the plant is being set up by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in collaboration with Airbus Spain.
It may be recalled that India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) on September 8, 2021 to replace the ageing AVRO fleet. The C-295MW aircraft is a transport aircraft of 5-10 Tonne capacity with contemporary technology. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.
According to the terms of the contract, Airbus is to deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by TASL in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. All 56 aircraft will be installed with indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite, said an Indian government statement issued after the CCS approval.
The first C295 aircraft was delivered to the Indian Air Force in September 2023. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari formally received symbolic keys to this aircraft at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain.
Strong Economic and Commercial Ties
Economic and commercial linkages are an important component of India's bilateral ties with Spain. While in India, President Sanchez will also visit Mumbai, where, apart from official engagements, he will interact with trade and industry leaders, think tanks and the film industry. A number of MoUs/ Agreements are expected to be signed during the visit which shall give a fillip to bilateral cooperation, the MEA said.
According to official data, Spain is India's 6th largest trade partner in the European Union. Bilateral trade in goods in 2023 stood at US$ 8.25 billion, growing by 4.2% over a similar period a year ago. India's exports grew by 5.2% and stood at US$ 6.33 billion, while imports grew by 1.05% to reach US$1.92 billion.
India's top exports to Spain are mineral fuels,mineral oils and products of their distillation, chemical products, iron and steel, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, articles of apparel and clothing accessories (knitted and non knitted), nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, marine products and articles of iron and steel.
India and Spain have strong economic relations too. Spain is the 16th largest investor in India with cumulative FDI stock of US$ 3.94 billion (April 2000 - December 2023). At the same time, Indian investments in Spain are around US$ 900 million.
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