New Delhi: India-Israel ties have stood ‘test of time’; will soon finalise FTA: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Israel have elevated their bilateral relationship to the status of a special strategic partnership, adding that the “historic decision” reflects the aspirations of the people of the two countries whose relationship is founded on “deep trust, shared democratic values, and humanitarian bonds.”
“In today’s meeting, we discussed giving new direction and greater momentum to our cooperation,” Modi said at a joint press briefing with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu after the two leaders held delegation-level talks in Jerusalem.
The discussions covered a raft of areas including defence and security, technology and innovation; cybersecurity; trade, investment and connectivity; agriculture, water and environmental protection; combating terror and promoting peace; parliamentary cooperation; health; education; and people-to-people exchanges.
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“The leaders noted the immense progress made in the India-Israel bilateral relationship across diverse domains, including emerging technologies, cyber, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship, defence, security, and more. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi agreed and decided to elevate the Strategic Partnership to a new level – ‘A Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation & Prosperity,’” said a joint statement issued in Jerusalem.
At a special press briefing later, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the US-Iran tensions and the overall regional situation figured in the discussions between the two PMs.
“The PM (Modi) reiterated India’s firm belief in the value of dialogue and pursuing peaceful solutions to all such issues. He also reiterated India’s readiness to offer its support for a peaceful solution of issues,” Misri said.
On a question about what role India could play in the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza, he said, “We do see a role. What exactly that role will be depends on a little more clarity on how things will develop on the ground in Gaza. I am not going to speculate at this point in time on the exact areas in which we may come in, but India has very specific capabilities and capacities which would be of considerable relevance in a situation like the one we see on the ground in Gaza. We do have the capacity to contribute,” he added.
Several outcomes were finalised during the talks including in the areas of technology, science, trade, financial services, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, blue economy, labour mobility, education and culture.
The outcomes included 17 memoranda of understanding or agreements, and 10 other announcements, including one on elevation of the relationship to special strategic partnership.
“Our ties have stood the test of time. Our economic cooperation continues to serve as an engine of growth, innovation, and shared prosperity. Last year, we signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement to promote mutual investments. We will also soon finalise a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement,” Modi said at the press briefing.
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