External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held talks with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen hours before the latter decided to cut short his visit to India because of certain security-related developments in the Jewish nation.
“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,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
He also said that apart from discussing cooperation in high tech, digital & innovation, as also connectivity, mobility tourism, finance, and health, they also noted the progress in I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and US alliance) and cooperation in multilateral forums. The two ministers also exchanged perspectives on their respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific.
The Israeli minister said he would return home after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was decided by the Israeli side after the minister received the information on his arrival here this morning regarding Tel Aviv’s operation against a militant group in Gaza Strip.
During his brief visit, Cohen also addressed the India-Israel Business Forum, he pitched for expediting a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. “I believe it (FTA) can boost our relations,” he said.