‘Our idea is to be constructive; Spain deserves to be G20 member’

Spain’s ambassador to India, Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez, expressed his country’s desire to become a permanent member of G20. Spain, the world’s 15th largest economy, is currently a permanent invitee to the grouping. In an interview, Dominguez also called on India to take a more assertive stance on global issues like the Ukraine war and commented on China’s new standard map that makes extensive territorial claims. He also said Spain is willing to deepen defence ties with India, including through the transfer of defence technology. He added that Spain is ready to work with India on aircraft carrier technology. Edited excerpts:

We’re hearing a lot about how this is India’s moment on the world stage. What is your view?

Whatever I will say in this answer, I would like to underline this is because of my love of India, not to criticize India. When one loves one country, he has the right to raise concerns. Let me underline two feelings I have. The first one is that I feel that India sometimes considers that the rest of the world must recognize India as a superpower. So, it’s a question of recognition. Let me say that in our experience, this situation is not recognized. It is something you have to fight for. So, I think India’s attitude of waiting to be recognized is perhaps not the most useful. You have to take a stance in this complicated world. For instance, the Indian government faces hindrances in being more clear towards the Ukraine war. We can understand this because every country has its own history, but at the same time, within that, the position of India is very important. Ukraine is not a European war. It is a war in Europe. We need friends, and we need like-minded countries like India at least to be conscious of the seriousness of the situation. The idea is not to wait to be recognized as a superpower. You have to act as a superpower.

The G20 Summit is coming up. Spain is still a guest at the summit. Are you looking at becoming a full member?

Our idea is to be constructive. Of course, we will be happy to be a member, and we think we deserve to be a member. We deserve this for two reasons. First, we are the 15th largest economy in the world. Second, our role has always been constructive. So, is our option not to attend the G20 because we are permanent guests? No, we’ll continue our role. The system of G20 and the procedures of G20, for the time being, don’t have an open discussion on this. I hope that perhaps they will open again, for instance, with this idea of the African Union becoming part of G20.

What big push is happening in the bilateral ties between India and Spain?

We have a holistic approach to India. In the markets, we are very interested in infrastructure. A green economy for us is very important because we are talking about the necessity of changing the economic structure to develop this country. In defence, I always insist on the idea that for us, this is not only trade. Spain is a country in which, in this part of the world, we don’t influence the balance of power. So, if India wants to preserve its strategic autonomy, we are an ideal partner because whatever India needs from our technology doesn’t have a political interpretation.We have some programmes that are very important. For instance, this programme of Airbus Spain with the Indian armed forces to provide 56 transport planes (Airbus C-295). The most important thing is that we engage ourselves to have the first plane ready on 13 September. We have an older programme on submarines with Navantia. The moment has arrived to decide between two offers: The German one and the Spanish one. We have the most modern submarine and propulsion. The Indian armed forces want this proposal to be sea-proven. We are in the process of doing this. We have a third-generation propulsion, and it is one that is ecologically the best. The propulsor is the best at the moment in the market. Another thing is that we are fully engaged with the programme “Make In India”. There is a full agreement among the Spanish parties and governments to support this programme. The only thing we need is to be trusted.

Are there any other defence deals that India and Spain are working on?

After this programme of Airbus Spain with the planes, we are talking to the Air Force to have the possibility of presenting some of our offerings. With Navantia, there are also other possibilities. For example, this is not as developed as the programme on submarines; there are also aircraft carriers. We know India is looking for this, and we have this technology, so we are looking at this. It’s not that we have had conversations, but we are ready to do this if the Indian Navy needs this.

How are talks on the India-EU free trade agreement progressing?

If we don’t have this agreement ready by the end of this year, it will be a problem. India will have elections next year, and so will the European Commission and European Parliament. Once you have elections in India and for the EU, it is something uncertain. We are fully convinced that this FTA is important for India and for us. It’s a long process. I feel that perhaps during this month, we will know because we saw some hopes of going ahead in the next round in October.

We have a neighbouring country that has released a new map claiming Indian territory. Any thoughts on this?

When I was at university, a professor of mine used to say, “Geography is a tool for war, and our duty is to prevent maps from being used for war”. We must be very cautious in doing this. It is important to respect and solve differences peacefully. We see other parts of the world with frontier differences, and the best way to proceed is not to consider geography or cartography as a tool of war, as my teacher used to say.

A survey by Pew Research found that positive views of India have declined somewhat in Europe. Do you think India’s position on Ukraine has hurt its perception?

It is very important, when you are on the international stage, to pay attention to the immaterial values. India has the possibility of presenting itself as an assertive power or a cooperative power. It is a choice Indians and the Indian government make. Nobody and nothing has obliged India to be too assertive in the international scene. You have the possibility of presenting yourself as a cooperative power.