New Delhi, May 02: India and Israel will enhance their partnership in areas like innovation and startups, and usher in a new phase of deeper bilateral collaboration, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday.
Singh announced this while meeting with a high-level Israel delegation led by Dr Daniel Gold, Head of DDR&D, Israeli Ministry of Defence, who called on him here.
On the occasion, India and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation with a focus on several key technology areas like Aerospace, Electronics Instrumentation, Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering, Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water, Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Energy (Conventional & Non-Conventional) and Energy Devices, Agri, Nutrition & Biotech and Healthcare.
Welcoming the signing of the agreement, Dr Jitendra Singh said that 2023 is a very important year for the country as India is holding the G20 presidency under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is also the year when India and Israel are celebrating 30 years of successful diplomatic relations, he said.
The minister said he is optimistic that this agreement will open a new phase in the India-Israel partnership in areas like innovation, technology and startups.
“India-Israel are not only bilateral partners, but play a larger role to address some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, through joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health and food security sectors, through the grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America – “I2U2” Group,” he said.
Brig Gen (Ret) Dr Daniel Gold said that it is heartening to see that in 2022-23, India and Israel celebrated 30 years of successful diplomatic relations. “India and Israel are very good friends and have lots of potential to collaborate in high technology areas,” he said. Dr Jitendra Singh concluded by congratulating DG, CSIR and Head DDR&D for their efforts to strengthen the relationship.