One of the main items on the agenda was the recent I Spain-India Forum. Both SICF’s Chairman Antonio Escámez and Secretary General Alonso Dezcallar said the event had been a success and took the chance to thank the patrons for lending their support to this important event, which in the cases of Jausas, Expansión Exterior, Indra, the Madrid and Barcelona City Councils and Casa Asia involved logistical and financial support. They also thanked the Secretariats of State for Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure, Transport and Housing and praised the indispensable work of Ambassadors Gustavo de Arístegui and Vikram Misri, as they were instrumental in securing the presence of Talleen Kumar, CEO of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Joint Secretary of Politics and Industrial Promotion of the Government of India.
Given the success of the first edition, the Spain India Council Foundation is already considering a second one which, as mentioned by FICCI’s Secretary General Didar Singh, may place in India in the first half of 2016. SICF’s Secretary General Alonso Dezcallar agreed with this idea, as the Forum was created to encourage exchange and cooperation between the two countries for as long as possible.
As for the 2015 Plan of Action, the Foundation is planning numerous activities, such as the IV Indian Leaders Programme, which is intended to be formed by a delegation of MPs. The Plan also anticipates presenting the II Spain India Council Foundation Award to V. Anand in Delhi, most likely in January. Lastly, and as usual, SICF will organise a series of seminars, meetings and breakfasts, some of which will feature in the agendas of institutional and business visits to Spain.
Certain activities and issues which were not directly linked to SICF, but which tie in with the Foundation’s objectives, were also discussed at the meeting. These included the initiative by the city of Bilbao to make India a strategic country for its foreign relations and the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), among others.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybáñez, who became an SICF patron, as did ICEX CEO Francisco Javier Garzón. The Director General for North America and Asia-Pacific, Ernesto de Zulueta, and the Ambassador of India to Spain, Vikram Misri, were also in attendance.
More images in the Gallery.
