India, Spain Both Victims of Terrorism, World Must Act Together: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called for zero tolerance towards terrorism, stressing the need for stronger global cooperation as he held bilateral talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares in New Delhi.

During the meeting, Jaishankar said the global order is undergoing a profound shift, making international collaboration more critical than ever, particularly in combating terrorism. Emphasising that both India and Spain have been victims of terror attacks, he said the world must adopt an uncompromising approach against terrorism.

“The world order is clearly undergoing a profound change. It is more imperative than ever before for nations to collaborate on shared challenges. This is particularly the case with respect to combating terrorism, where both India and Spain have been victims. The world must display zero tolerance towards terrorism,” Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also conveyed India’s condolences over a deadly train accident in Spain’s Cordoba on January 18, which claimed at least 40 lives. Expressing solidarity with the Spanish people, he said India mourns the loss of lives and prays for the speedy recovery of those injured.

The accident occurred around 7:30 pm local time when a train derailed and collided with another train travelling in the opposite direction. The two trains were carrying approximately 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid and about 200 passengers from Madrid to Huelva.

Highlighting the strength of India–Spain relations, Jaishankar said ties between the two democracies have deepened steadily through regular high-level engagements and a shared commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based global order. He noted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Spain, which will be celebrated alongside the Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence.

He said the Dual Year reflects the two countries’ intent to combine cultural heritage with forward-looking cooperation. Jaishankar also announced the joint launch of the logo for the Dual Year, selected from over 1,900 entries received through an open competition.

Jaishankar further highlighted India’s human-centric approach to artificial intelligence, noting its alignment with European values. He said India will host the AI Impact Summit next month and expressed confidence that the Dual Year would encourage greater institutional and industry-led collaboration.

On defence cooperation, Jaishankar referred to the Airbus–Tata C-295 final assembly line in Vadodara, jointly inaugurated in October 2024. He said the first Made-in-India C-295 aircraft is expected to roll out before September this year, reflecting the growing depth of defence industrial collaboration between the two countries.

The External Affairs Minister said Spain is among India’s important trade partners within the European Union, with bilateral trade in goods exceeding USD 8 billion. He noted that Spanish firms have a strong presence in India across sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, urban mobility and smart cities, while Indian companies are active in Spain in IT, pharmaceuticals and automotive components.

Jaishankar also underlined strong cultural and people-to-people ties, saying Yoga, Ayurveda and Indian culture enjoy wide popularity in Spain, while interest in the Spanish language and culture is steadily growing in India. Tourism, he added, has emerged as an important pillar of the partnership, serving as a bridge between the two societies.

(With inputs from ANI & yMedia)