New Delhi:
Calling the relationship between India and Israel “truly special”, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017 was a “goosebump moment” for him.
Mr Jaishankar made the remarks while addressing the gathering here for the celebration of 74 years of independence of Israel.
“When I look back at our relationship, in the last several years that I have been associated with, for me the goosebumps moment in a way was at Tel Aviv when the PM visited Israel in July 2017, first Indian PM to visit Israel. And, since then our relationship has really taken off,” the EAM said.
Mr Jaishankar said that both the countries are focussing on expanding the knowledge-based relationship which includes cooperation in innovation and research. He further said that Israel is an integral part of the ‘Make in India’ initiatives.
Talking about the future prospects, Mr Jaishankar mentioned, “As I see the future of this relationship for me one of the most encouraging signs is intellectual, students in huge numbers are going from here to there, research project we are doing.”
Mr Jaishankar also touched upon the aspect of the new Quad consisting of India, Israel, UAE, and the US, where he hoped this group can play an important role in expanding economic cooperation in that region.