By IANS,
New Delhi : Spain’s King Juan Carlos I, who is on a four-day state visit to India, arrives in the national capital Friday at the head of a high-level delegation comprising ministers and business heads.
The king arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday and met Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan. He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome in New Delhi Friday.
The monarch will call on President Pranab Mukherjee who will host a state banquet in his honour.
Delegation level talks are also to be held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the King of Spain.
The visit of the Spanish king comes at a time when the Spanish economy is on a downswing.
Expanding business ties will top the agenda, but other important strategic issues like counter-terrorism and defence cooperation will also figure in the discussions.
India has pitched for Spanish investments in sectors like infrastructure, transport and energy.
Bilateral trade burgeoned to $5 billion in 2011, which represents a growth of almost 18 percent over 2010.
Spanish investment in India is over $1.3 billion. India’s total investment in Spain is valued around 605 million euros.
“The Royal family of Spain has a strong and abiding interest in India. The visit of His Majesty is expected to carry forward the process of high-level interaction and deepen the relations between the two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement earlier.