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"India A Global Power", Says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu;
Begins Historic Visit


Mr Netanyahu's visit to India is only the second one by an Israeli prime minister and comes after a gap of 15 years. Former
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had visited India in 2003

by Taboola

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today arrived in India for a six-day visit

JERUSALEM / NEW DELHI: Keen to bolster Israel's relations with India, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today arrived in India for a six-day visit which he said would provide an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation with a "global economic, security, technology and tourism power".

Mr Netanyahu's visit to India is only the second one by an Israeli prime minister and comes after a gap of 15 years. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had visited India in 2003.

"I will meet with the Prime Minister (of India), my friend Narendra Modi, with the Indian President and with many other leaders. We will sign very many agreements," Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement.

"We are strengthening ties between Israel and this important global power. This serves our security, economic, trade and tourism interests, as well as many other areas. This is a great blessing for the state of Israel," he said.

"Indian Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is a close friend of Israel and of mine and I appreciate the fact that he will accompany me on extensive parts of my visit," Prime Minister Netanyahu said just before leaving for New Delhi.

"On this visit I intend to strengthen bilateral relations even more. This visit is an opportunity to enhance cooperation with a global economic, security, technology and tourism power," he added.

The visit marks 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and takes place about six months after PM Modi's trip to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister to the Jewish state.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will be visiting Delhi, Agra, Gujarat and Mumbai and will be accompanied by PM Modi on extensive portions of his visit, a press statement said. He will hold meetings with President Ram Nath Kovind and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, apart from Prime Minister Modi.

Several agreements and MoUs, including in the field of oil and gas, renewable energy, amended protocol for airports, cyber security, and co-production of films and documentaries, will be signed between the two sides.

Israel's Saare Tzedek hospital would be signing an agreement with the ministry of health and family welfare.

Informed sources in Jerusalem said that this relates to sharing of knowledge in the field of homoeopathy and Ayurveda that have been gaining popularity in Israel over the last few years.

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology would also be signing an agreement with the ministry of science and technology, sources in Jerusalem said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is leading a high-profile delegation comprising 130 businessmen from 102 Israeli companies drawn from areas like agriculture, water, cyber security, health care and security, on his trip.

Israel will be investing $68.6 million to boost cooperation with India in areas like tourism, technology, agriculture and innovation over a period of four years, a senior official in Jerusalem said ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit.

The commitment is in addition to the India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund of $40 million over five years with equal contribution from both sides that has already been agreed between the two nations, Deputy Director General of Israel's Foreign Ministry, Gilad Cohen, earlier told news agency PTI.

Moshe Holtzberg, the toddler who survived the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack but lost his parents, will also join the trip with his grandparents and his brave Indian nanny, Sandra Samuels, who saved him.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had promised to take him along on his visit during an emotional meeting between the now 11-year-old boy and PM Modi in Jerusalem in July.

PM Modi will be hosting a private dinner for Prime Minister Netanyahu in New Delhi tonight. The Israeli prime minister also met Swaraj today.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will be formally welcomed tomorrow morning at the Rashtrapati Bhawan following which he would lay a wreath at Rajghat. He would then participate in a dialogue at Hyderabad House which will also include a one-on-one discussion with Prime Minister Modi. A meeting with President Kovind is also scheduled for tomorrow.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara, would be travelling to Agra to see the Taj Mahal on Tuesday and return to Delhi to participate in the Raisina Dialogue.

PM Modi would be accompanying Prime Minister Netanyahu to Gujarat on Wednesday where he will be welcomed in the same fashion as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was with a road show in Ahmedabad.

The road show is said to be an 8-kilometre drive from the airport to the Sabarmati Ashram. The two leaders will also be witnessing several innovative technologies in the field of water, agriculture and health at iCreate and visit a Centre of Excellence.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will travel to Mumbai on Wednesday in the evening where he will meet the Indian Jewish community.

A packed schedule on Thursday for the Israeli premier in Mumbai will include a "power breakfast" with Indian business leaders, a business seminar, attending two memorial services for the victims of the 26/11 attack at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Nariman House and finally a gala event with Bollywood actors.

Source: NDTV, : January 14, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in India to deepen links

BY MUNEEZA NAQVI

The Associated Press
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and his wife Sarah, left, are greeted by India's Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on their arrival at Palam airport in New Delhi Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived Sunday
for his first visit to India to expand defense, trade and energy ties. (AP Photo)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew and stressed the close friendship between the two leaders and their countries as officials from both sides signed several agreements Monday on defense, trade, energy and agricultural ties.

The Israeli prime minister arrived in India on Sunday for a six-day visit, his first to India. He was met on the tarmac by Modi who engulfed him in his trademark bear hug and later hosted Netanyahu and his wife at a private dinner.

"My good friend, welcome to India," Modi said addressing Netanyahu as the two men addressed reporters after their bilateral meeting Monday. He also referred to him as "my friend Bibi" and Netanyahu in return referred to Modi by his first name.

Earlier Monday Netanyahu inspected a ceremonial guard of honor at India's presidential palace and laid a floral wreath at the memorial of India's independence leader Mohandas Gandhi.

"This is the dawn of a new era in the great friendship between India and Israel," Netanyahu told reporters at the presidential palace. He described the visit as "deeply moving for my wife and me and for the entire people of Israel."

The visit marks 25 years since India and Israel established diplomatic relations. Last year Modi visited Israel, becoming the first Indian prime minister to do so.

During the Cold War, India didn't have open relations with Israel, leaning heavily in favor of the Palestinians. But over the last 25 years, ties between the two countries have warmed.

On Monday Modi said that Netanyahu's visit was "a fitting climax to the commemoration of 25 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel." Netanyahu's visit comes weeks after India's vote in favor of a U.N. resolution denouncing President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Netanyahu told India Today magazine in an interview over the weekend that while Israel was disappointed by India's vote, the relationship between Tel Aviv and New Delhi remained strong.

"Yes, naturally we were disappointed, but this visit is a testimony that our relationship is moving on so many fronts forward," Netanyahu said.

A large Israeli business contingent is travelling with Netanyahu and on Monday evening Netanyahu will attend the India-Israel CEO Forum Meeting.

Netanyahu's schedule includes a visit to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal, and to Gujarat, prime minister Modi's home state. He will also visit India's business capital Mumbai where apart from meeting business leaders he is also slated to meet with the leaders of India's tiny Jewish community.

Source: abcnews.go.com, Jan 15, 2018,












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