- After their meetings the two leaders met Moshe Holtzberg - an Israeli child who as a toddler survived the 2008 terror attack at a Jewish centre in Mumbai. Moshe, now 11, read out a welcome note for PM Modi, saying "Dear Mr Modi, I love you".
- Mr Netanyahu said both countries are "challenged by forces of terror" and that their meeting with Moshe Holtzberg is an "expression of our commitment to fight the bad and defend the good."
- "Ours is a partnership to seek good, defend good and achieve good. This is indeed a good day," said Mr Netyanhu, adding, "We spoke about so many fields where we can make a big difference - agriculture, water, health...today, India and Israel are changing our world and parts of the world. " "We are making history together," Mr Netanyahu said.
- PM Modi said Mr Netanyahu and he "agreed to do much more together to protect our strategic interests." He said they discussed "the situation in West Asia and the wider region", adding that "it is India's hope that peace, dialogue and restraint will prevail."
- PM Modi also said that thriving two-way trade and investment flows were the bed-rock of a strong partnership. The two leaders will meet top CEOs from both countries tomorrow.
- Earlier today, PM Modi, who is on a three-day visit, met Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in his first formal engagement and tweeted a photo, saying, "The President of Israel welcomed me so warmly, he broke protocol. This is a mark of respect for the people of India." Mr Rivlin recalled his visit to India last year and said PM Modi is "one of the greatest democratic leaders."
- "I for I, India for Israel and Israel for India," said PM Modi, who was greeted with a warm hug by President Rivlin. PM Modi has said it is a "singular honour" to be the first Indian PM to undertake "this groundbreaking visit."
- "We've been waiting for you a long time. We've been waiting almost 70 years in fact...The connection between us is natural, so natural that we might ask, what took so long?" said Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday. PM Modi had said hello in Hebrew and Mr Netanyahu spoke in Hindi after a grand welcome at the airport that Israel reserves for US Presidents.
- Mr Netanyahu, who usually meets visiting heads of government for a meeting and over dinner or lunch meeting, is accompanying PM Modi, who he has fondly and frequently referred to as "my friend", to most engagements. This gesture, he said, "befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world".
- The Israeli Prime Minister will also accompany PM Modi this evening when he addresses the Indian community in Jerusalem where a crowd of over 5,000 is expected. Singers from Bollywood are also expected to perform at the event.
"This is a marriage made in heaven, but we are implementing it here on earth," Netanyahu said, drawing a hearty laugh from PM Modi and a round of applause from the audience of mediapersons and diplomats.
The two leaders were addressing a joint press conference after holding discussions on an extensive menu of issues earlier in the day. India and Israel inked seven agreements in key sectors like space technology, agriculture and water conservation.
"Our talks focused on not just areas of bilateral opportunities but also how our cooperation can help the cause of global peace and stability," PM Modi said.
Unveiling the seven Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), Netanyahu said, "We are making history together with my friend Prime Minister Modi and this is deeply moving moment for me."
The seven MoUs signed between India and Israel includes a bilateral Technology Innovation Fund worth $40 million for research in industrial development. The two countries also decided to work together to reform water utility and the agriculture sector in India.
"We agreed that efficiency of water and resource use; water conservation and its purification; productivity increases in agriculture are key areas in deepening our bilateral cooperation," PM Modi said.
"In recent years, we have been receiving a large number of Israeli tourists in India. At the same time, more and more Indian students are choosing to pursue advance academics and research in your best universities. I am confident that the strength of these links, old and new, will hold us in good stead as we forge a partnership for the 21st century."
Read Moor Israel
Capital: Jerusalem
Currency: Israeli new shekel
President: Reuven Rivlin
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
Destinations: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Dead Sea, Eilat, Galilee, Haifa
Post a Comment