India and Spain have signed an Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information to provide the framework for enhanced bilateral cooperation in areas of defence research, development and technology cooperation.
The Agreement was signed by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting Spanish counterpart Pedro Morenes Eulate after the first full-fledged delegation-level meeting between the two sides here last night.
During the talks, the Spanish side evinced keen interest in participation in the Make-in-India initiative in defence sector, an official statement said today.
Both sides agreed to continue to work for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation.
They also exchanged views on a wide range of issues concerning bilateral defence cooperation and issues of regional and global security.
Eulate is on a two-day official visit to India. He had earlier visited India in October 2012 as a member of the Spanish delegation led by the King of Spain.
Explaining the agreement signed, defence sources said that this is the primary pact a country agrees to before embarking on deeper talks on defence cooperation.
Spain has over the years acquired expertise in various fields of defence sector.
Sources said Spanish companies are interested in being part of the P75I, a project under which India plans to build six conventional submarines.
