Water, agri top Modi’s Israel agenda

Water, agri top Modi’s Israel agenda
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Highlights

Water and agriculture will be high on agenda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel. Yuval Rotem, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will escort and accompany Modi during his three-day visit, a practice usually not extended to other foreign dignitaries. 

Red carpet welcome awaits PM Modi

New Delhi/Jerusalem: Water and agriculture will be high on agenda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel. Yuval Rotem, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will escort and accompany Modi during his three-day visit, a practice usually not extended to other foreign dignitaries.

Netanyahu would be present at the Ben-Gurion airport along with the protocol team on Tuesday to welcome Modi where national anthems of both the countries would be played during a ceremony. Indian-origin Israeli singer, Liora Itzhak, who learnt Indian classical music in Mumbai and Pune as a teenager and later also sang songs for Bollywood movies, has been chosen to sing both the national anthems.

Israel Ambassador to India Danny Carmon said the country is “very excited” about the visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 25 years after establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. “It’s huge symbolic significance of visit of PM of India, first visit ever to Israel,” Carmon told reporters.

Sharing details about Modi’s schedule, Carmon said he would be meeting his counter Benjamin Netanyahu for a “working lunch” on Wednesday. The bilateral meeting would last for four hours, he said.

Agriculture and water, among others, will be the areas of cooperation the two countries wish to set up joint strategic partnerships. Israel is also looking to seek cooperation in space technology, he said.

During his visit, Modi will be visiting Haifa and pay tribute to the fallen soldiers during World War I. He would also visit the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister will be addressing a crowd of around four thousand Indians during his visit.

Speaking to the media on his upcoming visit, Modi said boosting economic ties and furthering people-to-people interactions would be on his agenda. Saying that he would be holding “wide-ranging talks” with Netanyahu, Modi added that common challenges like terrorism will be discussed.

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