Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's opening remarks at the Joint Press Conference with the Prime Minister of Spain

"It is a privilege to welcome Prime Minister Zapatero to India. This visit marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Both India and Spain are convinced of the importance of upgrading our bilateral relations for mutual benefit. We view Spain as an important country in the EU. We value Spain's contribution in addressing issues of global importance.

The economic engagement between India and Spain is an important element in our Partnership. It is satisfying to note that bilateral trade has trebled in the past 5 years to reach the figure of � 2.7 billion.

Spain is an important investor globally. We would like Spain to look at the opportunities that India has to offer for investment in various sectors such as infrastructure, automobiles, renewable energy, tourism and environment protection. India and Spain share common views on a range of regional and global issues. During our meeting today we reiterated our commitment to work together in addressing global challenges such as terrorism, in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in promoting development which is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, and in the effective management of globalization.

Both countries have suffered the scourge of terrorism. We look forward to working with Spain in building an international consensus on combating terrorism, including through coordinating efforts at the United Nations.

Prime Minister Zapatero briefed me on Spain's initiative for an Alliance of Civilizations. India will extend its support to this important initiative.

A Joint Statement will be issued today, which outlines the range of engagement between our two countries.

Let me take this opportunity to once again welcome Prime Minister Zapatero to India."