- Israel's Ambassador to India said FTA talks with India may conclude by 2026
- The first round of free trade agreement negotiations ended two days ago
- India and Israel aim to deepen tech and innovation cooperation through partnership
Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said that the first round of the negotiations on the free trade agreement with India was concluded two days ago and that the deal could be wrapped by 2026.
Speaking to NDTV, Azar said, "I can tell you that they are very determined. There is a lot of work. We are trying to press them as much as we can. We are positive that we can finish this year. The question is when."
Azar also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Knesset and said that it "really touched the hearts not only of our parliamentarians but the entire people of Israel."
Read | "No Place For Terrorism": PM Modi's Message For World Peace From Israel
Speaking about the relationship between Indians and Israelis, he said that India and PM Modi love the Israelis and that "Jews feel very secure in India."
PM Modi on Thursday said that India and Israel will soon finalise a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and announced the establishment of a "Critical and Emerging Technology Partnership" to deepen cooperation in the tech and innovation sectors.
"In today's meeting, we discussed giving a new direction and a faster pace to our cooperation. Our economic cooperation is the engine of growth, innovation, and shared prosperity. To encourage mutual investment, we entered into a bilateral investment agreement last year. We will also soon finalise a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement," he said.
Read | "India Stands Firmly With Israel, In This Moment And Beyond": PM Modi In Jerusalem
PM Modi said on Wednesday that the Indian and Israeli representatives have been working to conclude a bilateral trade agreement.
"For the past few years, India has been the fastest-growing major economy in the world. Soon, we will be among the top three economies globally. In the last few years, India has concluded a number of important trade agreements with other nations. Our teams are working hard to negotiate an ambitious Free Trade Agreement," he said.
PM Modi is currently on a two-day state visit to Israel at the invitation of his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
