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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pedro Sanchez reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-EU Strategic Partnership.
A key area of focus for boosting the partnership is the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor Project (IMEEC). Notably, Sanchez paid an official visit to India on October 28-29. This was President Sanchez's 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, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, and a high-level official and business delegation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. The MEA further said that PM Modi and President Sanchez reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-EU Strategic Partnership and to advancing the EU-India triple negotiations of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement and Geographical Indications Agreement. They agreed to enhance their collaboration to fully realise the objectives of the EU-India Connectivity Partnership and recognised the potential of the IMEEC to boost connectivity between India and Europe. The leaders also explored avenues for cooperation among regional countries in areas such as trade, investment, technology, energy, logistics, ports, and infrastructure development, the release added. Notably, India, the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor during the New Delhi G20 Summit held in September 2023. The IMEEC comprises an Eastern Corridor connecting India to the Gulf region and a Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf region to Europe. The two leaders also 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. They also expressed satisfaction at the progress of bilateral relations since PM Modi's visit to Spain in 2017, the MEA said. PM Modi and President Sanchez also instructed their teams to continue upgrading the bilateral agenda further and forging cooperation in all dimensions of political, economic, security, defence, people-to-people and cultural cooperation. (ANI)
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