India and Israel signed a “vision statement” to commemorate 30 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which will pave the way for future defence collaboration.
Minister of Defence, Mr. Rajnath Singh, and Israel’s Minister of Defence, Mr. Benny Gantz, had bilateral talks in New Delhi on June 2. The two leaders talked about defence cooperation as well as the current global and regional situation.
In recent years, Tel Aviv has attempted to strengthen defence ties with New Delhi, particularly in the areas of air and missile defence.
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi also met Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Naftali Bennett, on the sidelines of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow in November, 2021. The annual India-Israel Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence was held in Israel on October 26-27, 2021.
Describing the meeting with Gantz as “warm and productive”, Singh tweeted: “discussed key issues pertaining to defence cooperation and global and regional scenarios during the bilateral meeting. We place great value on our Strategic Partnership with Israel”.
Gantz’s office in a statement said: “The two Ministers presented a joint declaration marking 30 years of Israel-India relations and reiterated their commitment to deepening defence ties”. Both agreed that India and Israel need to work together due to common security challenges, as Gantz described, “so that we may increase our capabilities and ensure the security and economic interests of both countries”
