Jaishankar reached Israel on a two-day visit; To talk to top leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Israel on Tuesday, December 16, on a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks with the country’s top leadership on bilateral and regional issues.

This visit is taking place at a time when preparations are going on for the proposed visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India.

Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently spoke on phone, after which the Israeli leader said the two would meet “very soon”.

During his stay, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

“The discussions will revolve around bilateral and regional issues with the aim of further deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries,” a source here told PTI.

Jaishankar arrived in Tel Aviv from Abu Dhabi, where he participated in the high-profile Sir Bani Yas Forum. He also participated in the 16th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting and the 5th round of India-UAE Strategic Dialogue held on 15 December.

Netanyahu’s much-awaited visit to India is expected to be followed by a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Avi Dichter and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited India earlier this year as the two countries build momentum towards a free trade agreement (FTA).

India and Israel signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Smotrich’s visit to New Delhi in September, followed by the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the proposed FTA during Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to Israel last month.

In the defense sector, the two countries last month signed a landmark agreement to enhance defence, industrial and technological cooperation, enabling sharing of advanced technology to promote co-development and co-production.

India and Israel have also expanded cooperation in the cultural and educational fields with film festivals, dance performances and filmmaker exchanges aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties.

On Monday, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Tel Aviv University signed an MoU to establish an Indian Chair in the university to promote academic cooperation.