New Delhi, Jan 30 (Agency) India and Israel marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett on Saturday avowing to the depth of the friendship between the two nations and of the bilateral cooperation notching up new successes in the future. PM Modi in a specially televised national address said that 30 years ago, on this day, the two countries established full diplomatic ties, that marked the beginning of a new chapter in their bilateral relations. “Though the chapter was new but the history of our ties is very old. Our people have shared strong ties for ages,” he said. He said that for thousands of years the Jewish community in India has been living without any kind of discrimination and in a friendly atmosphere and have thrived. “They have contributed majorly in our development journey,” he said. He said that with major changes taking place in the world today, the importance of India-Israel ties has grown even more. “And what can be a better time than this to set up new goals in our bilateral cooperation — at a time when India is celebrating its 75 years of independence this year, and Israel will celebrate its 75 years next year, and when the two are celebrating 30 years of their diplomatic ties.
“ He said he is “fully confident that the India-Israel friendship in the coming decades will notch up new successes in bilateral cooperation.” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in his special address, said: ”Israel and India have a ‘gehri dosti’, deep friendship. “Today we honour 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India. “Thirty years of a wonderful partnership, our deep cultural connection and military and economic cooperation. “I would like to thank my dear friend PM Modi for his leadership and deep commitment to this strong and robust friendship. “Our countries may be different in size but we share much in common. Our rich history, the inherent warmth of our peoples, and our cutting-edge innovation and technology. “The ties between Israel and India are strong and together they will only grow stronger. The opportunities are endless. Namastey.” Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in an op-ed in a newspaper titled ‘Namaste, Shalom To Friendship’, said that 4,000 km separate the two countries, but they are cooperating in various fields, including water management, agriculture, innovation and security – through sharing knowledge, projects, “and most importantly, a vision for the future”. “We are two ancient civilisations with great stories, but we are also two young and energetic democracies motivated by openness towards innovation and the ability to connect with other cultures.”
“Another important element of our relationship is security cooperation. Here too, our partnership is deepening,” they said, adding that recently the two sides participated together in the Blue Flag Air Force exercise in Israel. “We share operational knowledge and work together to find solutions for regional challenges and in our counter terrorism. The cross-border terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 was a stark reminder of the common threats we face.” They said the two sides have set up a fund for advanced technological innovation in water, agriculture, healthcare, energy and communications. Referring to the meeting between PMs Narendra Modi and Naftali Bennett in Glasgow in November and their own meeting in Jerusalem, the ministers said the two sides have agreed to accelerate negotiations on a FTA and to work even more closely in critical areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. As part of the celebrations, Israel’s iconic Masada fortress, the Gateway of India in Mumbai, and Teen Murti Chowk in Delhi were lit up the colours of the Indian and Israeli flags.