President Murmu meets Spain’s minister José Manuel Albares to boost trade and security

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said India and Spain have a shared position on countering terrorism and must “pool resources and capabilities to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” calling it a “serious threat to global peace and stability” during a meeting with Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares , at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The president said both nations are committed to working together on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the G-20 to further their shared goals of peace, prosperity and stability around the world.

President Murmu highlighted the centuries-old relations between India and Spain, enriched by trade, culture and shared democratic values. She said India and Spain will mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026 by celebrating the India-Spain Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence , which will showcase strong cultural bonds, tourism opportunities and deepening technological collaborations.

On economic ties, Murmu noted that Spain’s strengths in engineering, railways, renewable energy, urban services and defence aerospace complement India’s development priorities. She expressed confidence that the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), expected to be finalised soon, will strengthen trade relations. “With the signing of the free trade agreement between India and the European Union, I am confident that the trade relationship between India and Spain will further be strengthened,” she said, noting that the EU is India’s largest trade partner with bilateral trade in goods reaching USD 135 billion in 2023-24.

Murmu also welcomed the participation of top European leaders, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission as chief guests at India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, underscoring the growing relationship with Europe.

In his remarks, Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, described India as a “reliable country” that believes in international law and upholds the principles of the United Nations Charter , underlining Spain’s strong support for early conclusion of the India-EU free trade agreement and deepening bilateral ties. “It’s very important for Spain to foster our relationship with such a reliable country like India… and a very good sign would be the final agreement of the FTA with the European Union that we very much would love to see being put forward,” Albares said.

Albares also welcomed cooperation in areas such as tourism, culture and artificial intelligence, and highlighted examples of industrial collaboration, such as the partnership between Airbus Spain and Tata Advanced Systems. He noted that Spanish President Pedro Sánchez is expected to visit India soon and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Spain in return, reflecting shared interest in elevating the relationship. “We are going to continue working bilaterally through the European Union, as well as in the multilateral sphere,” Albares added, affirming support for multilateral cooperation and deeper strategic engagement.

The Spanish minister also reaffirmed support for India’s contributions to global peace and stability, positioning both countries as partners in upholding international law and democratic values, reinforcing a relationship that spans political, economic and cultural domains.