Netanyahu dials PM Modi; Middle East tensions discussed in detail

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Thursday. They reviewed the current situation in the Middle East, the bilateral relations between India and Israel and cooperation in various fields. The Prime Minister made this known through a post on social media platform X after the phone conversation.

PM Modi noted in the post that India-Israel relations are growing stronger day by day and reviewed the progress in areas of cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders also agreed to maintain their strong relationship. Prime Minister Modi paid a two-day visit to Israel with a high-level delegation at the invitation of Netanyahu in February last year. The leaders recalled that PM Modi's visit to Israel in 2017 and Netanyahu's visit to India in 2018 laid the foundation for a cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The leaders assessed that the relationship grew in areas such as defence, security, technology, cyber, agriculture, water resources, health, and entrepreneurship. It was also decided to elevate the strategic partnership of the two countries to a "partnership for peace, innovation, and prosperity."

The leaders expressed their commitment to combining the technological advances of the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, and space exploration. The two countries also stated in a joint statement that this partnership will strengthen India's goals of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat, Vikshith Bharat 2047'.