India, Israel to renew negotiations on FTA

At the meet, the two sides decided to renew negotiations on a free trade area agreement between India and Israel in November.

The agreement may be ready for signature by mid-2022. (PTI)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in Jerusalem Monday and discussed matters of bilateral interest.

At the meet, the two sides decided to renew negotiations on a free trade area agreement between India and Israel in November. The agreement may be ready for signature by mid-2022. The two countries also agreed to recognise each other’s Covid-19 vaccination certificates, as per an official statement.

Additionally, the two ministers agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of water and agriculture, which in recent years have become an anchor of the relations between the two countries.

After the meeting, Lapid tweeted, “I thank my friend @DrSJaishankar for his visit to Israel, a visit preceding events which will take place next year to mark 30 years of bilateral relations between our countries.”

“In the last year, India and Israel have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have helped one another amidst this crisis. This is how friends and partners behave,” he added.

Following their meeting of the Foreign Ministers, a signing ceremony was held, marking Israel’s accession to ISA (the International Solar Alliance, founded in 2015 on the initiative of India and France), which will allow Israel to contribute its knowledge and experience to the organisation. Israel’s Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar signed the agreement on behalf of her government.

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