Spain and India: seeking stronger bilateral relations

The Elcano Royal Institute is a think-tank for international and strategic studies that analyses world events and trends from a Spanish, European and global perspective.

The Elcano Royal Institute's Working Papers are longer documents of an academic nature - usually between 12,000 and 15,000 words long, with footnotes and bibliographies - on current international affairs of relevance to Spain or on different aspects of Spain's foreign policy and security.

This working paper is a joint project by Spain’s Elcano Royal Institute and India’s Observer Research Foundation in the context of the commemoration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the recent official visit of Prime Minister Modi to Madrid.

The report’s aim is to analyse the current status of bilateral relations, to highlight the key areas where there is potential for further improvement and the obstacles that are hindering the relationship. It also explores the strategic sectors which can be key drivers for further cooperation to consolidate and expand the bilateral partnership.

Although the focus of the document is the bilateral relation between India and Spain, the authors understand that there are significant avenues of cooperation as regards common interests and joint action in international organisations. Especially important in this respect is the role of the EU, which will be analysed in a specific chapter on the impact of EU-India relations on the bilateral connection.