India is emerging as one of Israel’s most important strategic partners, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar told JNS on Thursday.
He pointed to a pivotal moment following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first world leader to call Jerusalem, expressing solidarity with the Jewish state and affirming its right to self-defense.
“India is becoming one of our main strategic partners. We have the United States, which is our major ally, Germany, with whom we have special ties and defense relations, and then we have India,” Azar told JNS.
“India, unlike other countries, did not impose any embargoes or restrictions on trade after Oct. 7. That led the Israeli government to recognize that India, as one of the fastest-rising powers in the world, has enormous potential,” he said.
Over the past 18 months, the Israeli embassy in India hosted seven Indian ministerial visits. The growing relationship culminated in Modi’s visit to Israel in February, during which 18 deals were signed.
“We updated our defense cooperation and signed two agreements to expand its scope. We also upgraded our economic ties, signing a bilateral investment treaty and a series of memorandums of understanding in the financial sector, while working very hard to bring Indian infrastructure companies to Israel,” said Azar.
As Israel prepares to invest heavily in infrastructure, including the Tel Aviv Metro project, it hopes Indian companies will play a major role.
“We already have about 11 Indian companies that have applied for prequalification for those tenders, and I’m very optimistic that some of them are going to win contracts,” said Azar.
Israel has also doubled the number of Indian guest workers in the country over the past year, primarily in the construction sector.
Azar outlined six values that underpin the bilateral relationship: civilizational resilience and national revival; a shared determination to combat terrorism and radicalism; a commitment to democracy and sovereignty; entrepreneurship and innovation; sustainable and inclusive development; and tolerance and shared cultural heritage.
Amelie Botbol, Jewish News Syndicate