Tel Aviv, February 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s historic two-day visit to Israel concluded on Thursday, as he departed for India. At Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, bid farewell to Modi in a heartfelt manner.
At the airport, Modi and Netanyahu warmly embraced each other and engaged in conversation before Modi boarded his flight.
Earlier in the day, Modi and Netanyahu held discussions, agreeing to elevate their bilateral relations to a “Special Strategic Partnership.” They also talked about giving new direction and momentum to India-Israel cooperation.
Modi shared on social media platform X, “Today’s conversation with PM Netanyahu was very beneficial. We have made a historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to a Special Strategic Partnership. This decision reflects the aspirations of our peoples.”
He added, “We discussed giving our cooperation new direction and increased pace, including economic and trade relations. We decided to establish a ‘Critical and Emerging Technologies Partnership’ to accelerate collaboration in various advanced technology sectors.”
Modi highlighted agriculture as a crucial area of collaboration between the two nations. He stated, “Agriculture is an important area where India and Israel are working together. In today’s discussions, we decided to increase the number of Centers of Excellence to 100, which will greatly benefit farmers.”
The Prime Minister also met with the cast of the Israeli espionage thriller series ‘Fauda.’ Sharing a selfie with them, he humorously noted, “Good thing one selfie was enough for this meeting; no undercover work was needed! Fauda.”
On the second day, Modi met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in education, startups, innovation, technology, and connectivity. Modi and Herzog also planted a sapling in the presidential garden under the “One Tree in the Name of a Mother” initiative.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reported on X that Modi expressed gratitude to President Herzog for supporting the strengthening of the India-Israel special partnership and extended an invitation for him to visit India in the near future.
Before meeting with the President, Modi visited the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. Netanyahu and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan accompanied him during this visit. They observed the Holocaust memorial and museum, which includes the ‘Book of Names,’ a vast installation listing the names of 4.8 million Jewish victims. Modi participated in a memorial ceremony held in the ‘Hall of Remembrance’ and signed the guest book.
On Wednesday, Modi addressed a special session of the Knesset, marking the first address by an Indian Prime Minister to the Israeli parliament.
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