India-Israel trade: FTA negotiations heat up amid regional diplomacy push | World News

India and Israel are ready to accelerate Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and a high-level Israeli delegation is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi in late February, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Thursday.

Speaking to ANI about strengthening bilateral relations, Ambassador Azar said that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the agreement were signed during Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit last year.

“We are planning to hold a round of talks at the end of February, actually in two weeks. A delegation from Israel will come to India. We are thinking of doing this in two stages, first we will focus on the low-hanging fruits and then move on to more difficult issues,” Azar said. he said.
Noting India’s recent success in signing agreements with major global markets, including the EU, UAE and Australia, he added that there was an intention to finalize the deal within the year.
India and Israel formally signed the ToR to begin negotiations for an FTA in November 2025.
Addressing the ongoing regional tensions, the Ambassador emphasized the need to prevent radicalization in Gaza and implement a 20-point plan.
He expressed hope that diplomacy would prevail and that Hamas would fulfill its commitments to demilitarize Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
“India can play an important role because India is the fastest growing economy in the world today and has a lot of opportunities to offer to all players in our region, be it Israel or Arab countries,” he told ANI.
Commenting on the recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, Azar underlined a shared focus on neutralizing threats posed by the Iranian regime.
Azar said, “Israel’s general interest is to neutralize all elements of the radical regime in Iran’s plan to destroy the state of Israel. This includes the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program and the aid it provides to Iran’s proxies.” he said.
He also suggested that while diplomacy was preferred, the US was developing military capabilities to signal “enough is enough” regarding Iran’s history of “delaying and deceiving” the international community.
While an official announcement is still pending, the Ambassador expressed high expectations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel. He confirmed that professional teams from both sides were working to ensure the visit provided the “maximum possible benefit”.
The two countries are currently interacting at a professional level to enhance defense industry cooperation and facilitate financial partnerships in high-tech sectors, focusing on artificial intelligence, quantum and cybersecurity. The visit is also expected to strengthen long-standing cooperation in transportation, agriculture, water management and other fields.
Azar said, “We hope that the visit will take place as soon as possible” and underlined that the two countries are moving towards a more technologically integrated partnership.