PM Modi Israel Visit: PM Modi reached Israel, PM Netanyahu gave grand welcome with wife Sara at Ben Gurion Airport

Jerusalem. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a grand welcome on his arrival in Israel on Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara received Modi at Ben Gurion Airport. This is Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to Israel in nine years. India-Israel relations were elevated to the level of strategic partnership during his first visit to this country in July 2017.

Netanyahu greeted Prime Minister Modi with a warm embrace. After this, Modi was formally welcomed at the airport located 20 kilometers south-east of Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Modi will address the Israeli Parliament today and hold talks with Netanyahu. The two leaders will hold talks on a wide range of issues on Thursday. In his statement before leaving for the Israel visit, the Prime Minister had said that he was confident that the visit would further strengthen the enduring relations between India and Israel and set new goals for the strategic partnership.

“India and Israel have a strong and multifaceted strategic partnership, which has seen remarkable expansion and dynamism in recent years,” Modi said. “I look forward to the discussions I will have with Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed at further strengthening our cooperation in various fields, including science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management, defense and security, people-to-people ties, trade and investment,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the two leaders will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. This visit of the Prime Minister is taking place amidst the ongoing tension in West Asia. India-Israel relations have strengthened over the years, covering areas such as defence, scientific research, cyber security and innovation. Defense cooperation has emerged as an important pillar of the partnership between the two sides, with Israel providing several military platforms and weapon systems to India.

In November last year, during the visit of the Indian Defense Secretary to Israel, an important agreement on defense cooperation was signed. Trade and investment relations between the two sides are also witnessing steady progress. The two sides had signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) in September to enhance economic cooperation.