Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi at Ben-Gurion International Airport, July 2017. Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO via Netanyahu’s Facebook page.

i24 News – Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke with his Indian counterpart on Thursday, during which the two spoke of the “strategic partnership” between their countries and how to deepen it.

Indian Highness Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called Cohen to congratulate him on his appointment as Israel’s newest foreign minister. The ministers discussed the importance of their relations, which they called a “strategic partnership,” and the ways to strengthen them through the promotion of a free trade agreement between the countries and projects in the field of innovation, food, and water security.

Israel is still in negotiations to reach a free trade deal with India, which was among the Jewish state’s leading export destinations in 2022. Other major commitments between the states include building a 10-year defense collaboration plan and trilateral economic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.

The two further discussed events to mark the 30th anniversary of relations between the two countries, which took place in 2022, and the cooperation between Israel, India, the UAE, and the United States.

In July of last year, leaders from the aforementioned countries announced several massive collaborative projects as part of the new I2U2 forum. They said they were aiming to “harness the vibrancy of our societies and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security,” and that I2U2 countries will cooperate on clean energy projects such as India’s hybrid renewable energy project.

Jaishankar also invited Cohen for an official visit to India soon.