India and Spain sign MoUs on infra, rail transport, culture and tourism

India and Spain signed several memorandums of understanding (MOUs) during the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Gujarat's Vadodara city on Monday.

During the bilateral talks held at the iconic Laxmi Vilas Palace here, both leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine and in West Asia, said Tanmaya Lal, secretary (west), Ministry of External Affairs.

"With respect to Ukraine, both sides exchanged their views on how they see the situation. PM Modi reiterated India's position that any such conflict can only be resolved by dialogue and diplomacy. This is not the time for war, this cannot be resolved on the battleground. It is necessary that direct discussion takes place between both the parties," Lal told reporters.

India reiterated its position that it really looks for a free, open, inclusive, prosperous and peaceful Indo-Pacific, he said, adding more on the region will be covered in the joint statement to be issued soon.

India and Spain, during the bilateral talks, signed agreements on cooperation in key sectors like infrastructure, railways as well as culture and tourism, he said.

An MoU on rail transport was signed for cooperation in planning, design, development, commissioning and operation of infrastructure, stations, railways facilities and equipment of long distance passenger and freight networks as well as urban and regional railway systems, an official release said.

"During the meeting, it was agreed that 2026 will be celebrated as 'India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and AI'. Moreover, a cultural exchange program for 2024-28 was also signed to promote bilateral exchanges in music, dance, theatre, literature, museums and festivals," the release said.

"An agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in Customs related matters was signed during the meeting. It will facilitate exchange of information for prevention, detection, investigation and combating of Customs offences," the release added.

It has been decided Spain will open a consulate in Karnataka capital Bengaluru, the release said, adding that India's consulate general in Barcelona was operationalized in August this year.

The Spanish delegation included two ministers and 15 CEOs of leading companies there, said Lal.

The bilateral talks were followed by a banquet lunch at the grand palace hosted by PM Modi, he added.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Sanchez inaugurated the Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus facility here to manufacture C-295 military aircraft in India.