BackRajnath Singh holds telephonic conversation with Israeli counterpart, reviews strategic cooperation
A statement from the Defence Ministry said both ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements
PremiumNEW DELHI : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Lt Gen Benjamin Gantz on Friday amid ongoing military tensions between India and China and New Delhi looking to make emergency buys of critical weapons systems needed by its armed forces.
A statement from the Defence Ministry said both ministers “expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements."
The ministry is currently processing requests from the armed forces for Spike anti-tank guided missiles manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as well as Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) besides other weapon systems from other countries.
Singh in his conversation with Gantz invited the “greater participation of Israeli defence companies under new liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in defence manufacturing," the Indian statement said.
“The two Ministers exchanged views on regional developments. Defence Minister of Israel responded positively to an invitation from Rajnath Singh to visit India at the earliest opportunity," the statement said.
The ministers also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing collaboration in research and development in fighting covid-19 which will not only benefit the two countries but also other countries, it added. The reference was to Israeli scientists visiting India in the coming weeks with four new technologies for the early detection of the novel coronavirus disease. Developed in Israel, the technologies are to be put to test in India where the case count has risen to 1.2 million. India is currently among the top three countries with reported covid-19 cases – just behind the US and Brazil.
India-Israel collaboration in areas like cutting edge technologies, research and development besides defence cooperation has shown a phenomenal increase in the past many years. Israel is currently one of the key sources of military hardware for India besides the US and Russia.
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