Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday expressed delight over his first official visit to India scheduled in early April at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to his office. During his visit, Bennett will meet with PM Modi and other senior government officials, and also visit the Jewish community in the country.
"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 PMO.
The two leaders first met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow last October, where PM Modi invited Bennett to pay an official visit to India. The Israel PMO said in a release that 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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
{{/usCountry}}Crediting PM Modi for “restarting relations between India and Israel”, Bennett said that 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.