India-Spain Must Have Even Closer Economic Ties: PM Modi

Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Spain in nearly 30 years.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gestures as he welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain. (Photo: Reuters)

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• Narendra Modi met with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid on Wednesday

• He will also call on King Felipe VI and meet business leaders of Spain

• He is the first Indian PM to visit Spain since 1988
  
• After Spain, Modi will head to Russia for the third leg of his tour
  

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 4:20 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday invited Spanish firms to invest in India whose strong economy offers "many opportunities" for them in various fields as the two countries signed seven agreements and vowed to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Spain since 1992, met the European country's top leadership and said India and Spain maintain close and cordial relations and he sees great potential in this collaboration.

The prime minister held wide-ranging talks with President of the Spanish government Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace this morning in the first engagement during his stay here.

After the talks, the two sides signed seven agreements, including pacts on transfer of sentenced persons and visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports.

Five MoUs were signed between the two countries on cooperation in organ transplantation, cyber security, renewable energy, civil aviation and one between India's Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain.

Spain is the 12th largest investor in India and the seventh largest trading partner in the EU. There are more than 200 Spanish companies in India that are actively involved in road construction projects, railways, wind power, water desalination, defense and smart cities.

From Spain, Modi will travel to St Petersburg in Russia on June 1 where he will hold the 18th India-Russia annual Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum the next day.

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 10:59 PM

Modi Leaves for Russia

Narendra Modi leaves for St Peterburg, Russia after his day-long trip in Spain. On June 1 Modi will hold the 18th India-Russia annual Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum the next day.

The prime minister will be in Paris on June 2 and 3 where he will hold official talks with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron with a view to further strengthening India-France strategic ties.

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 6:20 PM

Modi Meets King Felipe VI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a courtesy call to Spanish King Felipe VI at Palacio de la Zarzuela palace on the outskirts of Madrid.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Spain since 1988, praised the Spanish president saying under Rajoy's leadership the country has undergone economic reforms "which is also the biggest priority of my government."

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 6:07 PM

PM Modi Meets Spanish Counterpart

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy in Madrid on Wednesday.

“Terrorism is a challenge for all of our societies, we get to hear a lot about terror attacks these days,”ANI quoted the PM as saying.

“Our discussions today will focus on boosting our bilateral relations,” said the prime minister ahead of his meeting with the Spanish counterpart. He added that India and Spain can cooperate in many areas, including infrastructure and that the two countries must have closer economic ties.

“Terrorism is a challenge for all of our societies, we get to hear a lot about terror attacks these days,” said Modi, talking about terrorism.

The prime minister praised Rajoy's leadership by saying that Spain has undergone economic reforms under his leadership and stated that development was the biggest agenda for the Modi government.

During his visit, he also signed the Book of Honour.

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 4:26 PM

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Modi Meets People Outside Hotel

A crowd flocked to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside his hotel in Madrid.

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 1:05 PM

Modi Arrives in Spain

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Madrid, Spain, on the second leg of his six-day European tour.

Updated at:31st May, 2017 at 12:52 PM

Modi Leaves for Spain

Concluding his engagements in Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for Spain on the second leg of his six-day, four-nation tour of Europe.

This will be the first Indian prime ministerial visit to Spain in nearly 30 years after the visit of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.

Updated at:30th May, 2017 at 11:48 PM

Bilateral Summit, Meetings with Spanish CEOs to Happen

On Wednesday, Modi will call on King Felipe VI and hold a bilateral summit with his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy. The two Prime Ministers last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November 2015.

Modi will also hold a round-table interaction on Wednesday with a select group of Spanish CEOs who are keen to invest and expand their presence in India.

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel headed the biannual India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations following which 12 agreements across various sectors were signed by the two sides. The two leaders also addressed the India-Germany Business Summit here.

Apart from Germany and Spain, the Prime Minister will also visit Russia and France.

Also Read: After His Visit to Germany, PM Modi Off to Spain

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Updated at:30th May, 2017 at 11:48 PM