7th FOC meet held in Spain

The 7th India-Spain Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in Madrid on Monday. Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and Luis Manuel Cuesta Civis, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation, co-chaired the meeting.

The two sides expressed satisfaction at the enhanced bilateral engagement between the two countries. They undertook a comprehensive review of all aspects of the bilateral relations, including political, economic, and defence cooperation, trade relations, tourism, and cultural ties. The two sides expressed satisfaction on enhancing the diplomatic presence in each other’s countries through the proposed opening of new consulates in Bengaluru and Barcelona, which will provide a boost to bilateral trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

They agreed to intensify engagement through increasing high-level visits and exchanges, and revitalizing bilateral mechanisms such as the Joint Working Group on Defence, Security Policy Dialogue, and the CEOs Forum.