Madrid/IBNS/UNI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said no development is possible without there being love for the poor.

"We love the poor in our state. They are the foundation. If we don’t love the poor, we cannot ensure development," Banerjee said in the Spanish capital.

Speaking at a  Bengal Global Business Summit in Madrid, the CM said there were similarities between the ways of life in Spain and India.

"They love art, culture, paintings, and football. We too have similar cultural activities. Everyone knows the famous painter Picasso and the great La Liga," she said.

Expressing happiness over La Liga promising to set up a football academy in Bengal within a month or two, Banerjee said "We want them to train our young generation and aid in developing their skills. With the help of Spain, we may come up with great hope and scope. After all, who doesn’t know world-famous Indian cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kapil Dev? "

"Every year, we do the Bengal Global Business Summit and it has now emerged as the best in the country. I invite all of you to attend BGBS which is slated to take place between November 21-23 this year. Invest, listen, learn more, and give us the opportunity to extend hospitality. We are overwhelmed by the hospitality we received in Spain," she said.

Banerjee noted that Bengal is also famous for the International Film Festival, which will be held in December.

"More than 40-50 countries attend this Film Festival, which is known as one of the best festivals in the country," she said.

"So many MoUs have been signed in these meetings ranging from sports, culture, education, and film industry. We have so many women entrepreneurs. Bengal has over 90 lakh MSME units. Be it the leather and textile industries or the skill sector, Bengal has emerged as the front-runner in all these sectors includin Ease of Doing Business. Since the world has become a small family, please come and visit Bengal," she said.