BICOM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel today to mark 25 years of Indo-Israeli diplomatic relations, the first visit by a sitting Indian Prime Minister.

Modi will be greeted at Ben Gurion International Airport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called the visit “historic” and “an expression of the relationship between us and India that has grown tighter over the last number of years”.

Modi said, via his Facebook page, that the visit provides an “opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples”.

He added: “This visit will deepen our cooperation in a wide range of fields – security, agriculture, water, energy – essentially in all the areas that Israel is involved in.”

During his two day visit, Modi will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, and with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups, to discuss the “shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground”.

In a joint op-ed in Times of India, Modi and Netanyahu write that “the deep connection between our peoples reflects our many similarities in spirit, if not in size. Ours are two modern, vibrant democracies that draw on our rich historical traditions while striving to seize the promise of the future for our peoples”.

Prime Minister Modi will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and attend a rally for people of Indian origin living in Israel (there are an estimated 80,000- 85,000 non-resident Indians or persons of Indian origin in Israel) where he is expected to pay his respects to the Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the battle for Haifa in 1918.

Israeli and Indian relations have historically centred on security and defence collaboration. India is Israel’s largest market for defence exports. But bilateral relations has since expanded to incorporate other areas, including Israeli investment in a joint research and development fund, digital-health initiatives, academic cooperation and greater collaboration between the two countries’ space agencies.

Modi will not be visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah but Abbas spent three days in New Delhi last month meeting with Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.