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>> During Sunday meeting with Indian PM, Netanyahu reportedly floats joint military and civilian high-tech defense project
Israel has reportedly invited India to participate in a joint effort on cyber-defense, a project that will aim to be a link between civilian and military authorities in both countries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended the offer during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York on Sunday, the Hindustan Times reported.
The invitation to collaborate comes at a time when India is focusing on building its own cyber-defense systems, in collaboration with other countries including the US and UK, the report noted. Modi also discussed cyber-defense, terrorism and other security issues during a subsequent meeting on Monday with US President Barack Obama.
An Indian official told the paper that “cyber security is an area where Israel is focusing a great deal about. They are futuristic in their approach.”
The joint Israel-India cyber-defense initiative would work alongside the Israel National Cyber Bureau, a unit of the Prime Minister’s Office set up in 2012 and charged with analysis of cyber attacks or potential threats.
Netanyahu and Modi also discussed nuclear developments in Iran and expanding bilateral ties between Jerusalem and Delhi. He also raised Indian-Israeli cooperation on high-tech, water and agricultural technologies.
“We are very excited by the prospects of greater and greater ties with India. We think the sky’s the limit,” Netanyahu said during a press appearance ahead of the meeting.
The prime minister said he was “delighted” to meet his counterpart and invited him to visit Israel, in what would be a first for a sitting Indian prime minister. Modi did visit Israel before he became prime minister earlier this year.
Both men are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly gathering of world leaders. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting was the first between the Israeli and Indian premiers in over a decade.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu raised the issue of the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran as well as the global threat posed by Islamic terrorism,” the PMO said in a statement released Monday Israel time.
While Israel has lobbied for a sanctions regime to isolate Tehran and force it to curb its nuclear program, India has remained one of the largest importers of Iranian oil.
India cut crude imports from Iran by 40 percent in 2013 under Western pressure, but boosted trade again once an interim deal easing financial restrictions was signed between Tehran and six Western powers in November 2013, according to a Reuters report.
Bilateral trade between Iran and India stood at $15.25 billion in 2013-14, according to the Mumbai based Economic Times.
But India is also one of Israel’s most important trade partners in the defense sector. A report in August put Israel as India’s fourth-largest arms supplier, with Delhi saying it spent $533 million over the last three years, according to Israeli news site Globes.
New Delhi only established relations with Israel in 1992, a delay often attributed by analysts to potential concerns within India’s Muslim minority and the developing nation’s need to preserve relations with wealthy Arab states.
Modi had previously visited Israel as chief minister of Gurajat province, a position he held since 2001.
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The Love is in the Air : India-Israel Ties: 'Sky Is The Limit'
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rime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu met late on Sunday in the first interaction between the premiers of the two countries in 11 years with the leader of the Jewish state saying that "sky is the limit" for bilateral relations.
The meeting took place at New York's Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly during which Modi and Netanyahu discussed a wide range of issues including defence cooperation and the situation created by the Islamic State (IS) in West Asia. Both the leaders are staying at the Palace Hotel.
During the 30-minute meeting, Netanyahu invited Modi to visit Israel at an early date.
Netanyahu recalled that Modi had come to Israel in his earlier capacity as Chief Minister but he now hopes that he could visit as Prime Minister, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
Modi visited Israel in 2006.
Akbaruddin said Modi has taken note of the invitation and this would be discussed further through diplomatic channels.
He said the two leaders discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation and Israel offered expertise in water management and other agricultural-related areas.
India and Israel have a very robust relationship and currently bilateral trade stands at approximately $6 billion.
"Apart from these, there were discussions on matters relating to how Israel perceives developments in the region, that is West Asia. Also, Israeli Prime Minister explained their views and vision on talks that are happening between Iran and P5 Plus 1," the Akbaruddin said.
Defence Cooperation
Asked if there was a discussion on defence deals, he said, "Yes there was a discussion in terms of defence ties and the Prime Minister explained that his new vision of 'Make in India' was a priority.
"He also explained that right now in defence sector Israel or any other country can invest up to 49 per cent. And the Prime Minister made a pitch for skill sharing in areas like IT and water management."
"I believe that if we work together, we can do so with benefits for both our peoples and well beyond," Netanyahu said during a brief press interaction during the meeting.
"We are very excited by the prospects of greater and greater ties with India. We think the sky's the limit," Netanyahu said.
According to Netanyahu's office, the two leaders discussed Iran, the threat of terrorism, and possible cooperation in the fields of high-tech, cyber-security, water conservation and agriculture.
"We are two old people, some of the oldest civilizations on earth," Netanyahu said.
"But also two democracies, proud of our tradition, but also eager to seize the future. I believe that if we work together it will be for the benefit of both our peoples."
During the meeting, Modi, who had met a Jewish group earlier, also mentioned that there was no discrimination against the community in India.
"India is the only country where anti-Semitism has never been allowed to come up and where Jews have never suffered and have lived as an integral part of our society," Modi said.
This is not the first year in more than a decade that both the Israeli and Indian prime ministers will be attending the UN General Assembly at the same time. But it is the first time they met.
In 2003, Ariel Sharon paid the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to India when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
New Delhi established relations with Tel Aviv in 1992, a delay often attributed by analysts to potential concerns within India's Muslim minority over the issue of Palestine and the country's need to preserve relations with the Arab world and Iran.
In a sign of growing links between India and Israel, the Modi government refused to condemn Israel in parliament for its recent Gaza offensive as demanded by the Congress and other parties. This led to a walkout from the Lok Sabha by the Congress.
