Union Minister Piyush Goyal concludes three-day Israel visit, terms it “very successful”
Goyal emphasized that India and Israel have completed and signed the Terms of Reference, paving the way for formal negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement between the two countries.
“It was a very successful three-day visit to Israel. There is great enthusiasm in the industry and the government to further strengthen relations with India. As a result, we finalized and signed the Terms of Reference, which will start negotiations for a free trade agreement. I also held separate meetings with various technology companies. At the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, we saw how Israel takes every disaster as a challenge and works to capitalize on it. It turned it into an opportunity and that too, be it in the field of education, security, security,” Piyush Goyal told reporters. He said that it has achieved remarkable innovations and achievements in various fields such as healthcare or electronic technology.
Piyush Goyal also drew attention to the long conversation he had with Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat. He said that discussions were held regarding the steps to be taken to improve economic ties between India and Israel. Goyal stated that his Israeli counterpart agreed to visit India with a large business delegation.
The Union Minister also expressed confidence that his visit will boost bilateral trade between Israel and India.
Goyal said, “Yesterday, we had a very long meeting with the Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, who oversees international trade. We discussed in detail what steps to take to develop economic ties. Both sides discussed this issue and he expressed great satisfaction that the Israelis are visiting Israel with a large delegation, a business delegation and now the Indian delegation. He expressed great satisfaction with the success of both.” Indian Commerce Minister expressed confidence that the renewed agreement will significantly increase bilateral trade, innovation partnerships and investment flows between India and Israel, bridging the gap since his last visit. “I have a meeting with senior Israeli leaders tomorrow; I will share the details with you after the meeting. But it was a very successful visit in all respects. It has been 20 years since the visit of a Minister of Commerce and I hope that this visit will increase bilateral trade between Israel and India. Our relationship in the field of innovation, research and development will improve and in the future there will be a significant increase in investments between the two countries,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, Piyush Goyal held a series of wide-ranging talks during his official visit to Israel, further strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture, technology, innovation and trade.
Minister Piyush Goyal met with Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter for a detailed discussion on advancing agricultural cooperation during talks on Friday, November 21.
Minister Dichter briefed Indian minister Goyal about Israel’s 25-year food security roadmap, advanced seed improvement strategies and the country’s global leadership in water reuse technologies in agriculture.
In the statement made on Saturday by the Ministry of Commerce, it was stated that Minister Goyal visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation as part of his meetings and was informed about Israel’s leading technological ecosystem.
