India and Israel yesterday decided to expand co-operation in the defence sector during a visit by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Rivlin is the first Israeli president to visit India in 20 years and his trip would give a “crucial push” to bilateral ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after talks in New Delhi.
Modi, at a joint media briefing with Rivlin, said the two sides had discussed their growing defence partnership and had agreed to make it more broad-based through joint production and manufacturing.
Rivlin said Israel was proud of its innovations and ready to respond to the Indian prime minister’s call to “make in India.”
India has purchased an estimated $12bn worth of defence equipment from Israel over the past decade making it the third-largest supplier to India after Russia and the United States.
India and Israel had also decided to intensify co-operation in fighting terrorism and boosting trade and investment, Modi said.
“Our people are constantly threatened by forces of terrorism and extremism. We recognise that terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries and has extensive links with other forms of organised crime. Regrettably, one of the countries of its origin and spread is in India’s neighbourhood,” said Modi.
“We agreed that the international community must act with resolve and determination against terror networks and states that harbour them. Failure to act and silence of speech only encourages the terrorists,” he said.