The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchezbegins this Monday an official trip to the India. It is the first time that the current leader of the Executive has traveled to this country and it occurs 18 years after the last visit by a Spanish president. The last one was José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In Moncloa they highlight the upward momentum of India in the global geopolitical and economic context.
The trip occurs at the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modiin office since 2014 and recently re-elected for the next five years. Modi and Sánchez have had several bilateral meetings on the occasion of international summits such as the G20. They have also talked on the phone on several occasions, especially during the pandemic. Sánchez is active in the cities of Vadodara and Bombay.
Government sources emphasize that now is the time to place the bilateral relations of a country clearly on the rise thanks to its reform and opening policies. The main objectives are precisely those bilateral relations with economic and cultural ties at the forefront.
India is currently the most populated country in the world, an important voice in the global South and a key actor for major international challenges such as the fight against the climate crisis or the sustainable development agenda, according to Moncloa. It is also the fifth world economic power and with an upward perspective. The forecasts are that in 2030 it will be the third world power only behind the US and China.
Sánchez’s official trip takes place a month after the one made to China. A situation that, they point out in Moncloa, allows Spain to consolidate its presence in the Asian region at the highest level with the two great powers in the area. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of developing a specific strategy for Spain in Asia.
Sánchez also arrives in India a few days after the summit of the countries called BRICS held in the Russian city of Kazan. A conclave that served for Vladimir Putin to make his alliances visible. India has a historical relationship with Russia but at the same time it has made efforts to maintain a certain neutrality in the face of the Russian invasion, according to Moncloa’s reading.
Sánchez arrives in India a few days after the summit of the BRICS countries held in Russia
Modi visited kyiv in August, met Volodymyr Zelensky and has called for peace. The visit to Ukraine differentiates it from China, which has not done so. Government sources recognize the complex balances that India maintains and they remember that the country has abstained in the votes condemning Russia within the UN but that at the same time it has participated in the peace summits organized by Ukraine. It is a country, according to Moncloa, with a lot of capacity for influence. The situation in Ukraine will certainly be on the table in Modi and Sánchez’s talks.
The Government remembers that Spain has a different position than India, since they are clearly aligned, without nuances, with the defense of Ukraine. This does not mean, as was also commented during the trip to China, that all efforts to bring diplomacy to the table and reach a peace solution are welcome. Sánchez, they reiterate in Moncloa, is not equidistant and difference between the aggressor and the attacked.
New joint declaration and various agreements
Beyond the analysis of the geopolitical situation, Modi and Sánchez will sign a new joint declaration. The last one dates back to 2017, the date on which the Indian prime minister visited Spain with Mariano Rajoy in Moncloa. They intend to relaunch the bilateral dialogue mechanisms in areas of all types.
Several agreements will also be signed on economic issues, railways, renewable energy or sustainable mobility, among others. The trip has a business profile, since Sánchez will be accompanied by a large delegation that will also be received by Modi. The trip program includes holding a business forum in search of new investments and Sánchez’s visit to several companies.
The cultural relationship will also be reinforced with a visit by Sánchez to bollywood, the Indian film industry. The trip will formalize the year 2026 as the India-Spain Dual Year, to collaborate in matters of culture, tourism and Artificial Intelligence.
Sánchez will also be accompanied by his wife, Begoña Gómezexpressly invited by the Indian Government. She will have an official presence at an event organized by India and in Moncloa they reject that her presence, in the midst of a judicial offensive against her, could overshadow the importance of the trip itself.
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