Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to visit India next month to strengthen ties

Israel's foreign minister Eli Cohen is set to visit India next month, in what is expected to be a two-day visit startingMay 9th. The visit will focus on strengthening ties between the two countries in various areas, including trade. This will be Cohen's first-ever visit to India since taking charge of the foreign ministry in December of last year. Despite this, both Indian and Israeli foreign ministers have been in regular contact with each other.

Cohen's visit comes after Israel's Economy Minister Nir Barkat visited India earlier this year, where he held talks with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal with a focus on the India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This will be the second visit by an Israeli minister to India under the current Netanyahu government.

Over the past few years, India and Israel have increased their engagement, particularly in trade and security cooperation. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, bilateral trade and economic relations have progressed rapidly, with merchandise trade diversifying and reaching $7.86 billion (excluding defence) during the 2021-2022 period, up from just $200 million in 1992, primarily comprising diamonds.

Agriculture has been another area of cooperation, with Israel's Centre for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV) active in India with many experimental and demonstration projects. In June 2022, MASHAV signed a joint declaration with the Haryana government in the field of integrated water resource management and capacity building.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE