A natural gas rig in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Ashkelon. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

An Indian state-run energy company will seek to enter the Israeli exploration market, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a government official in New Delhi.

“We will definitely bid for Israel’s oil-and-gas blocks,” Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was quoted as saying.

Reuters described the move as the “first major deal” between India and Israel since Narendra Modi became the first sitting Indian prime minister to visit the Jewish state earlier this summer.

According to the report, a high-ranking Indian delegation traveled to Israel last month to “discuss taking part in the tender for blocks in the Mediterranean Sea.”

India and Israel are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations, and cultural, economic and defense ties between the two countries have flourished in recent years.

Last month, the Israeli Energy Ministry presented its official plan for the development of the Karish and Tanin natural gas fields, which are located adjacent to the larger Tamar and Leviathan fields in the Jewish state’s Mediterranean economic waters.