EAM S. Jaishankar arrives in Israel on two-day visit; to hold talks with top leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Israel on Tuesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with the country's senior leadership on bilateral and regional issues.

The visit comes as preparations are underway for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed visit to India. Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke recently over the phone, after which the Israeli leader said the two would be “meeting very soon”.

During his stay, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

"The discussions will revolve around bilateral and regional issues with a view to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries,” sources told PTI.

Jaishankar arrived in Tel Aviv from Abu Dhabi, where he participated in the high-profile Sir Bani Yas Forum.

He also attended the 16th India–UAE Joint Commission Meeting and the 5th round of the India–UAE Strategic Dialogue held on December 15.

Netanyahu's much-anticipated visit to India is expected to follow a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Israeli Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited India earlier this year as the two countries build momentum towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

India and Israel inked a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Smotrich's visit to New Delhi in September, followed by the signing of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the proposed FTA during the visit of Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to Israel last month.

In the defence sector, the two countries last month inked a landmark agreement to enhance defence, industrial, and technological cooperation, enabling sharing of advanced technology to promote co-development and co-production.

India and Israel have also expanded cooperation in the cultural and academic spheres, with film festivals, dance performances and filmmaker exchanges aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties.

On Monday, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Tel Aviv University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an India Chair at the university to boost academic cooperation.