Benjamin Netanyahu India visit: With an aim to strengthen defence ties with Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited defence firms of that country to participate in ‘Make in India’. The Prime Minister said this after holding talks with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. In the joint statement, PM Modi and Netanyahu “called on the Defence ministries to hold discussions in 2018 with active involvement of the public and private sectors, in order to create the basis for viable, sustainable and long term cooperation in the defence industry”. So far, defence companies and the armed forces have imported technologies from Israel, and the government has always kept it quiet.
On whether the multi-million Israeli missile Spike deal figured in the talks, Vijay Gokhale, Secretary (Economic Relations), did not give a direct answer and said defence and security cooperation was discussed. He did not get into specific details.
The two countries also inked nine pacts to boost cooperation in key areas such as cyber security and gas and oil after extensive delegation-level talks between their prime ministers. During the talks, the issue of India voting against Israel at the UN on the Jerusalem issue also figured with Indian officials maintaining that both sides put forth their views. However, the officials asserted that the two leaders agreed that the ties “are not determined by a single issue”. India had last month joined 127 other countries to vote in the UN in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision of the US to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Terming their talks as “wide-ranging and intensive”, Modi, at a joint press event with Netanyahu, said they reviewed the progress in the bilateral relations and agreed that “the possibilities and the opportunities” that beckon the two countries need to be seized. “We will strengthen the existing pillars of cooperation in areas that touch the lives of our peoples. These are agriculture, science and technology, and security…In defence, I have invited Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalised FDI regime to make more in India with our companies,” Modi said.
According to a joint statement, the leaders noted the “grave” threat that terrorism poses to peace and security including from non-state actors, and reiterated that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds. They advocated strong measures against terrorists, terror outfits, those who sponsor, encourage or finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, the statement said. At the press event, Netanyahu said, “Indians and Israelis know too well the pain of terrorist attacks. We remember the horrific savagery in Mumbai. We grit our teeth, we fight back, we never give in.”
