Madrid: The seventh India-Spain Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held in Madrid on Monday, during which the two sides undertook a comprehensive review of their bilateral relations and agreed to intensify engagement through Joint Working Groups.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and Luis Manuel Cuesta Civis, the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation of Spain.

"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," the MEA said in a statement.

India and Spain 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, the MEA stated. .

During the meeting, several regional and global issues of mutual interest such as the situation in Ukraine, Latin America, BRICS, the Indo-Pacific, cooperation in multilateral fora, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), and UNSC reforms were also discussed.

The Spanish side also congratulated India for the successful conduct of its G20 Presidency. While, the Indian side commended Spain for its leadership as the President of the Council of the European Union.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of maintaining regular engagement through the mechanism of the FOC. The next round of consultations will be held in India on mutually convenient dates, the MEA added.