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There is a plan and we all hope that things will be done this time, Israel's ambassador to India, Naor Gilon said on Tuesday regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India by the end of this year.
Speaking to ANI, the Israeli envoy said, "There is a plan towards the end of the year that PM Benjamin Netanyahu will be here. We all hope that things will be done this time." Regarding the visit of the foreign minister of Israel to India and how the trip was cut short, the envoy said that it happened because of the situation in Gaza. However, he had a very good visit as Cohen had four principal meetings with EAM Jaishankar. "We did cut short the visit because of the situation in Gaza. We had a very good visit. He had four principal meetings with EAM Dr S Jaishankar, Defence Minister, PM Modi and NSA. The meetings reflected the very intimate and warm relationship that there are between India and Israel," Naor Gilon told ANI. Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen held bilateral talks in which they touched upon various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including connectivity, mobility, academic and scientific research, fintech, agriculture, water, trade, etc, and agreed to further diversify the basket of collaboration. They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation under the framework of I2U2, the ongoing conflict in Sudan, developments in West Asia, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the official release of the Ministry of External Affairs. Cohen called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. PM Modi emphasised the growing innovation and knowledge partnership between India and Israel as well as the two countries' vast economic complementarities. He also paid homage to the Indian soldiers at the Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, New Delhi, which is a symbol of the shared history between the two countries and reflects the enduring India-Israel friendship. According to the official release, Cohen also met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss prospects of further defence and security cooperation between the two countries. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Minister of Jal Shakti, was another person he met. The India-Israel Business Forum was co-chaired by the two Ministers and was run by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). At the Forum, three B2B MoUs were signed between the CII and Israeli business organisations. The significant strategic connection between India and Israel is bolstered by regular high-level interactions. The visit by Eli Cohen marks Israel's third high-level visit to India this year. Prior to this, the Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, and the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Amir Ohana, both paid visits to India. India's bilateral merchandise trade increased to a record USD10.12 billion in FY 2022-23 (April-Feb) from USD 7.86 billion in FY 2021-2022. (ANI)
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