Terrorism shared threat, zero tolerance key: EAM Jaishankar

Calling terrorism a shared scourge for India and Spain, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said the world must display zero tolerance towards the menace, underscoring the need for closer international coordination as geopolitical churn deepens.

Opening talks with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Jaishankar said both countries had been victims of terrorism and asserted that combating the menace must remain a shared and uncompromising priority. “The world must display zero tolerance towards terrorism,” he said, placing counter-terror cooperation at the core of the evolving India-Spain partnership.

Albares, in his remarks, described India as a “reliable country” that believes in international law, the principles of the UN Charter and multilateralism, and said Spain was keen to further deepen ties with New Delhi both bilaterally and through the European Union.

“It’s very important for Spain to foster our relationship with such a reliable country like India,” the Spanish Foreign Minister said, adding that an early conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement would be a “very good sign” for strengthening economic engagement.

Jaishankar welcomed Albares and his delegation to India and conveyed condolences over the January 18 train accident in Córdoba, expressing solidarity with the victims and their families.

Highlighting the breadth of bilateral ties, Jaishankar said India and Spain enjoy warm and friendly relations rooted in shared democratic values, respect for multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Political engagement between the two countries has grown steadily through regular high-level exchanges, he noted.

The year 2026 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and will also be celebrated as the Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence. The two ministers jointly launched the logo for the Dual Year, selected from over 1,900 entries received through an open competition.

Referring to India’s AI Impact Summit scheduled for next month, Jaishankar said New Delhi’s approach to artificial intelligence is human-centric, inclusive and focused on responsible and ethical use — an outlook he said closely aligns with Europe’s approach.

On economic ties, Jaishankar said Spain was among India’s important trade partners in the European Union, with bilateral trade in goods crossing $8 billion in recent years. Spanish companies have a significant presence in India in infrastructure, renewable energy, urban mobility, engineering, water management and smart cities, while Indian firms are active in Spain in IT, pharmaceuticals and automotive components.

Albares said Spain would continue working with India through bilateral, EU and multilateral frameworks, and announced that Madrid would join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, formally conveying Spain’s intent through a letter handed over during the meeting.

He said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would soon visit India and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be able to visit Spain in the near future.

Jaishankar pointed to growing defence industrial cooperation, citing the Airbus-Tata C-295 Final Assembly Line in Vadodara inaugurated in October 2024. The first “Made in India” C-295 aircraft is expected to roll out before September.

Both ministers also highlighted the growing people-to-people connect, cultural exchanges and tourism, and reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating greater mobility, educational exchanges and institutional partnerships.