Jerusalem, Jul 24 (PTI) - Israel has characterized India as a 'key strategic ally' and emphasized that their relationship remains 'resilient through difficult times.' On Thursday, discussions were held between the two nations to explore expanding their defence and strategic partnerships, focusing on R&D collaboration and joint manufacturing initiatives. These discussions come in the wake of Director General of Israel's Ministry of Defence, Maj Gen (Res) Amir Baram's inaugural working visit to India
A statement from the Israeli Defence Ministry highlighted the defence-industrial collaboration talks a day after Baram's visit. During his July 22-23 trip to New Delhi, he met with high-ranking Indian officials such as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh
Key discussions focused on enhancing defence and strategic partnerships with an emphasis on R&D collaboration and joint manufacturing initiatives. Baram remarked, "India is a key strategic ally of Israel, and our partnership has proven resilient through difficult times
." He noted that recent operational achievements and common security challenges present a significant opportunity for expanding the nations’ defence-industrial collaboration. Additionally, Baram provided insights into the strategic Gulf region landscape and shared outcomes from Operation Rising Lion, demonstrating Israel's advanced technological prowess
Operation Rising Lion, initiated by Israel against Iran, sought to thwart Iran's nuclear aspirations and dismantle its missile arsenal. Furthermore, Baram engaged with Indian defence companies to identify new industrial collaboration opportunities
Following these engagements, Baram returned to Israel on Thursday. The Indian defence ministry released a statement on Wednesday following the Singh-Baram bilateral meeting in New Delhi
The statement mentioned that both parties agreed on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation with a “long-term perspective” and decided to work on developing an institutional framework to deepen defence ties. This meeting reviewed progress on ongoing defence collaboration since the last Joint Working Group meeting in India in July 2024
The DG of Israel's Ministry of Defence’s visit marks a significant step in India-Israel defence relations, underlining both countries' commitment to enhancing their strategic partnership.
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