MoS Pabitra Margherita pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Madrid, recalls his timeless ideals

Madrid: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Tuesday offered floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Spain's Madrid, underscoring how his timeless ideals of truth and non-violence continue to serve as guiding principles in the pursuit of peace, justice and harmony.

"Paid floral tributes to the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Madrid. Gandhiji's timeless ideals of truth and Ahimsa continue to inspire humanity and guide our collective pursuit of peace, justice and harmony," the MoS posted on X.

Margherita arrived in Madrid on Monday to participate in the 30th Summit of the Ibero-American Conference, as India is set to join the Conference as Associate Observer.

"Looking forward to productive engagements with the Latin-American community," Margherita posted on X after his arrival.

The Ibero-American Conference currently consists of 22 member countries – 19 from Latin America and 3 from Europe (Spain, Portugal and Andorra), 12 Associate Observers and 20 Consultative Observers.

The Summits are intended to strengthen cooperation, offer a means of jointly addressing shared challenges and promote sustainable development.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during the visit, which will continue until November 5, Margherita will hold bilateral meetings with key counterparts on the sidelines of the summit and engage with the Indian community in Madrid.

The visit of MoS will mark an important milestone in the ongoing celebrations of the India-Spain Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and Artificial Intelligence, the MEA stated, ahead of his visit.

Last month, India underscored the upward trajectory of its longstanding partnership with Spain and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening ties across trade and investment, defence and security, culture and tourism.

New Delhi's commitment was reaffirmed by Secretary (West) at the MEA, Sibi George, who represented India as Chief Guest at Spain's National Day celebrations in New Delhi.

"Secretary (West) Sibi George represented India at the National Day celebrations of the Kingdom of Spain as Chief Guest. He highlighted the upward trajectory of the longstanding India-Spain partnership and reaffirmed commitment to strengthen ties across trade and investment, defence and security, culture, tourism and people-to-people connect. He also noted the ongoing celebrations of the Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and AI, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations," the MEA stated.

The two countries have stepped up engagement during the Dual Year, including in defence.

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