Tel Aviv: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday and discussed strengthening of strategic alliance, expanding bilateral ties and deepening of the friendship between both countries.
“On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaishankar invited Bennett to make his first official visit to India,” the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser said.
Bennett thanked PM Modi for their personal commitment to the partnership between Israel and India, the adviser said. Meanwhile, Bennett said that Israel views India as a friend and looks forward to expanding the relationship in all fields and dimensions.
“I speak on behalf of Israelis: We love India. We view India as a huge friend and we’re looking forward to expanding our relationship in all fields and dimensions. I look forward to a very productive meeting,” Bennett told Jaishankar at the meeting.
Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of PM Modi to the Israeli PM and said, “We are today at a very important stage of our relationship because things have gone very well for us. But it has opened up a whole lot of possibilities. So, I think the challenge is how to work to take our relationship to the next level.”
Earlier, Jaishankar also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and discussed changes in the geopolitical landscape. Jaishankar — who is on his first visit to Israel as External Affairs Minister — arrived here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Israel, India, the US and the UAE have agreed to establish a forum for economic cooperation.
In a video conference on Monday, they agreed to meet in person at the Dubai Expo 2020 in the coming months.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hosted his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, in Jerusalem for the quadripartite meeting.
“Discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. “Agreed on expeditious follow-up.”
