PM Modi said- FTA will be finalized soon, announcement of ‘Critical and Emerging Technology Partnership’

Tel Aviv, 26 February. Prime Minister Modi, on the second day of his two-day official visit to Israel, said on Thursday that India and Israel will soon finalize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In this sequence, he announced the establishment of a ‘Critical and Emerging Technology Partnership’ to deepen cooperation in the tech and innovation sector.

During a joint statement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of his two-day official visit to the country, PM Modi said the two leaders discussed giving a new direction and greater momentum to bilateral cooperation. He said, ‘In today’s meeting, we discussed giving a new direction and faster pace to our cooperation. Our economic cooperation is an engine of growth, innovation and shared prosperity. To promote mutual investment, we signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement last year. We will also soon finalize a mutually beneficial free trade agreement.

Technology will become the core of future partnership between the two countries

Emphasizing on the increased focus on technology-driven cooperation, PM Modi said that technology will form the core of the future partnership between the two countries. He said, ‘Technology is the core of our future partnership. Today, we have decided to form a ‘Critical and Emerging Technology Partnership’. This will give new impetus to cooperation in areas like AI, quantum and critical minerals.

India-Israel The first round of talks for FTA is taking place in Delhi.

It is noteworthy that the first round of talks for India-Israel FTA started in New Delhi on Monday and will continue till today. Earlier on Tuesday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met an Israeli delegation in India for the first round of FTA talks. The Terms of Reference (ToR) to initiate Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and Israel were signed during the visit of Piyush Goyal in November, 2025.

in israel The agreement on the use of UPI was also welcomed.

PM Modi also welcomed the agreement on the use of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Israel, calling it an important step forward in digital cooperation, saying both countries are committed to using digital health innovations to improve the lives of their citizens by sharing their experiences and best practices. He said, ‘Even in the field of digital health, we are committed to improving people’s lives by sharing our experiences.’

Today’s discussions with PM Netanyahu were very fruitful. We’ve taken a historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to a Special Strategic Partnership. This decision reflects the aspirations of the people of both countries.@netanyahu pic.twitter.com/zXJr2re3Mb

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2026

‘Decades old and reliable cooperation between us in the field of defence’

Regarding the defense sector, PM Modi said that there is a decades-old, trustworthy cooperation between India and Israel, which is going to increase further. He said, ‘In the field of defence, we have a decades-long, trusted cooperation. The MOUs signed last year will add new dimensions to this. Together we will move towards joint development, joint production and technology transfer. He further said that both sides will pursue cooperation in civil nuclear energy and space, emphasizing the growing scope of the India-Israel Strategic Partnership.