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While on a official visit to India, the Spanish foreign minister gave a clear indication that his country wants to actively take part in India’s defence manufacturing sector.

On Wednesday the 15th of June 2022, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his visiting Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno reiterated their commitment to closely work in countering common challenges of terrorism, violent extremism and cyber crime.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Albares committed to “add new depth and content to the relationship” and emphasised on the need to retain strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific and to promote collaborative efforts among like-minded nations.

Albares was on a day-long visit to India.

The MEA said there were detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investment, defence and security, climate change, green energy and science and technology.

“The two leaders welcomed signing of the defence contract as part of which Airbus Spain will supply 56 C295 aircraft, 40 of which would be Made in India, and agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation,” the MEA said in a statement.

It may be recalled that in September last year, India sealed a nearly Rs 21,000 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft to replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military aircraft in India for the first time by a private company.