Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate meetings with the President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and Finland counterpart, Petteri Orpo, on Wednesday. During the meetings, he highlighted the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, saying the FTA had ushered in a golden era in Indo-European relations.
Sánchez and Orpo are in New Delhi to attend the ongoing India AI Impact Expo 2026, which features over 600 high-potential start-ups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. Over 20 heads of state, 60 ministers and 500 global artificial intelligence (AI) leaders are attending the summit.
PM Modi said he held a productive meeting with President Pedro Sánchez and discussed ways to boost the India-Spain friendship, especially in areas such as defence, security and technology.
"Our nations are marking 2026 as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism and AI. This will deepen people-to-people linkages. Glad to see a big delegation of Universities also come to India. This, too, will go a long way in connecting our people. The historic FTA with the EU will have a very positive impact on the economic partnership with Spain and provide new opportunities to the people of our nations," Modi wrote in a post on X.
India and the European Union, on January 27, sealed a landmark free trade agreement—billed as the "mother of all deals"—to create a market of 2 billion people.
President Sánchez said alongside Prime Minister Modi, he noted the excellent state of relations between Spain and India, which the two leaders will continue to strengthen.
"I have congratulated him on the organisation of the Summit on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence. We share the need to continue taking steps towards an AI that puts people at the centre," Sánchez said in a post on X in Spanish.
Meanwhile, during a meeting with Finland Prime Minister, PM Modi thanked him for his personal support to the India-EU FTA.
"India and Finland aim to double trade, thus giving a strong boost to economic linkages. We also talked about enhancing cooperation in futuristic technologies like 6G, innovation, clean energy, biofuels, circular economy, and more," Modi said in another post on X.
Follow us
