New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, who is on a strategically important visit to Israel on Tuesday (October 19), said he was much impressed with the "chemistry between Indian and Israeli Air Force professionals".
"Visited the Ovda airbase to meet the @IAF_MCC participants at Ex Blue Flag – No 1 Sqn "TIGERS". Delighted to see the mutual respect and chemistry between Indian and Israeli Air Force professionals," he tweeted.
Dr Jaishankar also wrote: "Defense and security are key pillars of our relationship."
In August this year, Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria also arrived in Israel.
Both the Air Forces have a 'shared vision' for future enhanced bilateral engagements and multidisciplinary professional exchanges.
The External Affairs Minister also went to Kibbutz Be'erot Yitzhak to see modern livestock management technologies.
"These include substantial enhancement in animal health and milk yields. India-Israel tech collaboration holds great promise," he tweeted.
Among his other engagements, Dr Jaishankar called on Speaker of Knesset of Israel, MK Mickey Levy. He also had a wide-ranging discussion with him and Chairman of Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Ram Ben Barak.
During his ongoing visit on October 18, Dr Jaishankar held an important interaction with Israel's Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yair Lapid.
Both sides, among other things, discussed the possibilities in innovation, digital, green growth, and health between our two economies.
"I am very confident about our relationship actually, as we approach its 30th year of upgradation to actually shift gears and know into a new phase," Dr Jaishankar wrote in the microblogging site.
"I am therefore, particularly pleased that just as we came to this visit, our officials have actually agreed on the resumption of the India-Israel, Free Trade negotiations."
He further said the negotiating process would commence in November.
The negotiations may conclude by June 2022. "So it's something that we very much look forward to," he wrote.
