Sir — This refers to the article, “Friend for decades, now fully out of the closet” (May 25) by Niranjan Chichuan. Full-fledged diplomatic relation with Israel was downright impossible when Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were in power. It was during the Congress Government under PV Narasimha Rao, that full diplomatic status was established with Israel, on January 29, 1992.
The Narendra Modi Government is naturally eager to strengthen the bonds of relations with that country. Modernising our defence with sophisticated arms, ammunition and weapons is vitally urgent, and it can be met by Israel. We require sophisticated technology and material for surveillance and intelligence inputs. We are sure that our trust in Israel in meeting our needs in various sectors will not go in vain. It has never failed us.