PM Modi’s Visit “Another Milestone” In Elevation Of Ties: Israel Embassy’s Economic And Commercial Mission Head Ofir Amami
Characterising the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a defining moment for bilateral ties, Ofir Amami, Head of Economic and Commercial Mission at the Embassy of Israel, stated that the high-level engagement marks “another milestone in the strengthened relationship between Israel and India in the past year, specifically in recent years.”
Amami highlighted that the visit was not merely diplomatic but was underpinned by significant “economic aspects.”
He pointed out that the personal involvement of the leadership has set a clear trajectory for future engagement, noting that “as mentioned by PM Modi himself during his visit, one of the key focuses and takeaways from this visit is stepping up the cooperation.”
Central to this cooperation is the institutionalisation of trade ties, which has gained significant momentum following the Prime Minister’s discussions in Jerusalem.
Amami identified the primary objective as the acceleration of a comprehensive trade pact, stating that “the takeaway is also to bring forward the trade agreement, the free trade agreement between the countries.”
Providing an update on the ongoing negotiations, Amami noted that “just this week, simultaneously with the Prime Minister’s visit, we had the delegation from Israel here to conduct the first round of negotiations toward the free trade agreement.”
He expressed optimism that the political will generated by the visit would act as a catalyst, adding, “We hope and believe that the visit of the Prime Minister will give an extra boost to take this process along.”
This push for a formalised agreement is seen as a natural progression for two economies that increasingly mirror each other’s growth ambitions.
“We believe both sides are very keen to take this step forward in institutionalising the economic relationship between the countries,” Amami remarked, further observing that “there will be a lot of benefits for both countries that are quite complementary and aligned in their economic interests. I hope we can manage to take this forward in a rapid manner.”
Further solidifying this economic and strategic trajectory, India and Israel on Thursday unveiled 27 outcomes following the two-day visit.
These outcomes, spanning cooperation in sectors from geophysical exploration to cybersecurity, include 17 agreements/MoUs and 10 key announcements aimed at expanding the bilateral partnership across strategic and people-centric domains.
