In a big boost to ties between the two countries, Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will visit India in the first week of April. It will mark 30 years of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Israel.
Sources said Bennet is likely to undertake a four-day tour starting April 2. Bennett will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues ranging from bilateral ties, the situation in Ukraine, terrorism and the security scenarios in the neighbourhood.
The two leaders will explore ways to further enhance cooperation in the field of defence and strategic relations. Israel has emerged as one of the major weapon suppliers to India in the last 30 years besides co-operating in the fight against terrorism.
"I am delighted to pay my first official visit to India at the invitation of my friend,” Prime Minister Modi, and together we will continue leading the way for our countries' relations," Bennett said, as quoted by Israel Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday.
The two leaders first met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow last October, where Modi invited Bennett to pay an official visit to India.
The Israeli PMO said in a release the purpose of the visit is to advance and strengthen the strategic alliance between the countries, and to expand bilateral ties.
"In addition, the leaders will discuss the strengthening of cooperation in a variety of areas , including innovation, economy, research and development, agriculture and more," Bennett's office informed.
The visit will mark the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full-fledged diplomatic relations between the two countries as India opened an Embassy in Tel Aviv in 1992. For years, the bilateral engagement revolved around defence and agriculture, but, in recent years, the relations have seen rapid growth across a broad spectrum of areas.
The Israeli Prime Minister appreciated Modi and gave him credit for "restarting relations between India and Israel." He said the "relations between our two unique cultures…are deep, and they rely on deep appreciation and meaningful collaborations."
"There are many things we can learn from the Indians, and this is what we strive to do. Together we will expand our cooperation to other areas, from innovation and technology, security and cyber, to agriculture and climate change," Bennett added. He also said ties are based on mutual "appreciation and meaningful collaboration."
The visit also aims to expand the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of innovation and technology, security and cyber, and agriculture and climate change. Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel since diplomatic ties were established. The visit in 2017 saw him holding wide-ranging talks with then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
