Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh. Photo: Virender Singh

i24 News – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz began his official visit to India on Thursday by paying tribute to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

Gantz was then greeted by his Indian counterpart, Shri Rajnath Singh, as the two countries mark the 30th anniversary of their formal diplomatic relations and defense cooperation.

The ministers discussed global strategic challenges, military cooperation, defense industrial cooperation and joint R&D.

They also discussed a cooperation agreement signed between the Indian DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) and Israel’s Defense R&D Directorate, which will allow the expansion of technological collaboration between the countries by putting the focus on drones and defensive capabilities.

During the bilateral discussion, the ministers declared their intention to exploit Israel’s technological advancement and operational experience, as well as India’s extraordinary development and production capabilities.

Finally, the ministers discussed government-to-government partnerships as well as military training.

Later in the day, Gantz met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.