JERUSALEM: India has called for
scaling up counter-terror and economic
cooperation with Israel, which has
emerged as it second largest supplier
of sophisticated military weapons.
"My visit primarily would be focusing
on the economic content, security,
terror - these are some of the issues
which are commonly faced both by
Israel as well as India," external
affairs minister SM Krishna said with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu at his side.
"We will have to work out a strategy
as to how we address ourselves to the
scourge of international terrorism
which has become the curse for the
entire humanity," said Krishna.
"I think our efforts should be to
checkmate and ultimately eradicate
terrorists from the face of the earth,"
he added.
Since the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, in
which six Israeli nationals were also
killed, counter-terror cooperation
between India and Israel has
intensified.
Krishna on Monday began a two-day
visit to Israel, the first by an Indian
foreign minister to that country in the
last 11 years.
Krishna stressed that he was visiting
Israel to chart out a road map for the
next two decades of bilateral
cooperation. "We have learned so
much from Israel, particularly in the
field of agriculture and science and
technology innovation," he said.
"And India is naturally an ally of Israel
in all these frontiers of science and I
look forward to an increased economic
content to our existing political
relationship," Krishna said.
Netanyahu struck an upbeat note on
the trajectory of India's relations with
Israel which have been blossoming
since the two countries established
diplomatic ties two decades ago.
"India and Israel are two ancient
peoples seizing the future: in
technology, in innovation, in
enterprise, and I think we can seize it
even better by our cooperation," said
Netanyahu.
"So I look forward to discuss with you
all these areas of cooperation between
us, including the signing in the near
future of a free trade agreement to
multiply our trade and to increase the
cooperation economically between
India and Israel," he said.
India calls for stepping up counter terror cooperation with Israel