EAM Jaishankar’s visit follows the visit to India by Spanish President Sanchez in October 2024
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on an official visit to Spain on January 13-14, 2025. This will be his first visit as External Affairs Minister to Spain, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday (January 12, 2025).

The visit will build on the momentum generated by Spanish President Pedro Sanchez’s visit to India in October last year.

During the visit, EAM Jaishankar will meet the leadership of Spain and hold discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Manuel Albares, on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and global matters of mutual interest. He will also address the 9th Annual Conference of Spanish Ambassadors and meet the Indian community, the MEA stated.

Imparting Renewed Momentum to Bilateral Ties
EAM Jaishankar’s visit follows the visit to India by President Sanchez from October 27-29, 2024. This was his first visit to India and the first visit by a President of the Government of Spain to India after 18 years. He was accompanied by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Minister of Industry and Tourism, and a high-level official and business delegation. 

During their talks, Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez noted that this visit has renewed the bilateral relationship, infusing it with fresh momentum and setting the stage for a new era of enhanced cooperation between the two countries across various sectors, a joint statement said.

A high point of the visit was the joint inauguration of the Final Assembly Line Plant of C-295 aircraft co-produced by Airbus Spain and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. at Vadodara by Prime Minister Modi and President Sanchez on October 28, 2024. 

The facility will manufacture 40 of the 56 C-295 aircraft contracted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), with the first "Made-in-India" C-295 expected to roll out by September 2026. The remaining 16 aircraft are being delivered directly from Airbus facilities in Spain; 6 of these have already been received by the Indian Air Force.

Meanwhile, the strong bond of friendship between the two countries is set to get a further boost next year with 2026 being marked as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and AI. During the year, both sides will make the maximum effort to boost the cultural presence of the other in their museums, art, fairs, film, festivals, literature, meetings of architects and circles of debate and thought.

At the same time, special attention will be paid to ways to increase tourist flows, promote reciprocal investments and share experiences in the many areas of hospitality, architecture, cuisine, marketing, both in urban and rural tourism, which benefits harmonious development and improvement for both countries.