Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister of Israel Mr Benjamin Gantz in New Delhi on June 02, 2022. A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting. The two Ministers reviewed the existing military-to-military activities which have increased despite the challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed ways to increase cooperation in all domains with a focus on Research & Development in future technologies and defence co-production.

Both the Ministers acknowledged mutual security challenges and their convergences on a number of strategic and defence issues. They expressed commitment to work together to enhance cooperation in all forums. With the intention to further strengthen the existing framework of the Indo-Israeli defence cooperation architecture, both sides adopted the India-Israel Vision on Defence Cooperation. A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of Futuristic Defence Technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.

Earlier in the day, the Defence Minister of Israel visited the National War Memorial and paid homage to the fallen heroes by laying wreath at the monument. He was accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour before his bilateral meeting with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.

The visiting dignitary reached New Delhi in the morning of June 02, 2022 an official visit to India. It was his first visit to India with an aim to strengthen the defence ties between the two countries. Defence cooperation has been one of the significant pillars of the bilateral cooperation. This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the formation of the official diplomatic ties between India and Israel.

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ABB/Savvy