India, Israel sign MoU on agriculture, water, and mobility to boost partnership

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar along with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen held productive and wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest and exchanged perspectives on Ukraine and Indo-Pacific.

New Delhi:India and Israel's Foreign ministers on Tuesday signed MoUs in the area of water, agriculture and mobility to further bolster ties between the two nations.

India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar along with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen held productive and wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest and exchanged perspectives on Ukraine and Indo-Pacific. Both the leaders noted the progress in I2U2 and cooperation in multilateral forums.

Taking to Twitter, EAM Jaishankar said, “Productive and wide-ranging discussions with Foreign Minister @elicoh1 of Israel this afternoon. The main pillars of our Strategic Partnership - Agriculture, Water, Defence & Security - are taking our ties forward. New agreements in water & agriculture today underline the potential to do more. Discussed cooperation in high-tech, digital & innovation, as also connectivity, mobility tourism, finance, and health.

"Noted the progress in I2U2 and cooperation in multilateral forums. Exchanged perspectives on our respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific. Initialed an agreement in the area of mobility”, he added.

The Israeli Foreign minister arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday morning and soon after his arrival, he announced to cut short his visit to India amid Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. He will return to Israel after he meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day. It is pertinent to note that his visit assumes significance as both countries celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.

His visit comes after Israel's economy minister Nir Barkat and Knesset speaker Amir Ohana visited India earlier this year. The primary objective of the visit is to bolster India-Israel ties in various areas including trade. This is the second such visit by an Israeli delegation to India under the Netanyahu government. Over the years, India and Israel have increased their cooperation in various sectors, especially trade and security.

Agriculture is another area of cooperation between India and Israel. The presence of Israel's Centre for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV)in India gives a new boost to the bilateral ties between the two countries. Many development projects have been initiated under MASHAV.

In June 2022, MASHAV signed a joint declaration with the govt of Haryana in the field of integrated water resource management and capacity building. MASHAV is committed to global efforts of achieving sustainable development, adaptation to climate change, and ensuring Food Security. In events of natural disasters, MASHAV provides humanitarian assistance and participates in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

PM Modi has congratulated his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and the people of Israel on their 75th anniversary of independence.EAM Jaishankar paid an official visit to Israel on Oct in the year 2021.