Prior to the Spain-India Dialogue on Global, Geoeconomic and Defence Challenges, a bilateral think tank meeting attended by the Ambassador of India to Spain, Vikram Misri, was held at the Diplomatic School in Madrid on October 6.
During the event, which was structured as a round table in which all attendees participated, it was made clear that think tanks must play a more central role in bilateral relations, which are already quite consolidated in the political arena. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation considers India to be a strategic ally in foreign policy in sectors such as defence and security, technology, science, infrastructure and culture; however, mutual knowledge needs to be shored up in other areas, such as economic, social and educational affairs, and that is where think tanks must play a significant role. Think tanks play an important role in channelling the exchange of knowledge and projects, which must be supported through the creation of platforms to facilitate permanent contact; knowing what each country is looking for, what they are interested in and what they can offer each other is the only way to strengthen ties between the two countries.
A great example of the need to encourage tighter links is the area of economics. With growing commercial relations, Indian society needs to know about the numerous Spanish companies which are currently operating in the country. The Make in India Programme, developed by Narendra Modi’s Government, is a great instrument to strengthen the impact and scope of projects by Spanish companies, including those which already operate in India and those which are seeking to access the market. However, additional means of promotion are also required.
Language and education were also a priority for the attendees. It became very clear during the latest edition of the Leaders Programme that the Spanish language has spectacular penetration in India and Spain must leverage this fact to increase the number of Spanish speakers in Asia as a whole, an investment which could potentially offer very attractive returns. In the education sector, there need to be more ties between Spanish and Indian universities and a higher number of post-graduate programmes focusing on these two countries to harness this exceptional opportunity to create a network of experts.
In short, the alliance between the two countries must go beyond governments and public administrations and make way for think tanks, institutions, companies and the education sector. The participants in the event said it was a step in the right direction, and that it had allowed for an in-depth analysis of the topics discussed and for work to begin n specific issues of great interest for Spain and India alike.
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