With A Hug At Airport, PM Modi Welcomes "Friend" Benjamin Netanyahu: 10 Facts

Israel and India will announce deals and joint investments in areas ranging from defence to renewable energy, Gilad Cohen, deputy director-general in charge of Asia at Israel's Foreign Ministry, said in a briefing on Wednesday.

All India | NDTV News Desk | Updated: January 14, 2018 14:39 IST

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With A Hug At Airport, PM Modi Welcomes 'Friend' Benjamin Netanyahu: 10 Facts

Benjamin Netanyahu's visit comes days after India voted against Israel at the UN on the Jerusalem issue

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the Delhi airport today to welcome Benjamin Netanyahu, the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India in more than a decade. PM Modi hugged and shook hands with the Israeli leader, with whom he had developed a warm rapport during his visit to Israel last year. He also tweeted a photo of their meeting. Accompanied by a 130-member business delegation, Mr Netanyahu is in India on a six-day visit, during which the two nations hope to deepen ties in trade and defence. The Israeli PM will hold comprehensive talks with PM Modi and also visit his home state Gujarat, where the two leaders will hold a joint road show on Wednesday.

Here are the latest developments in this big story:

From the airport, Mr Netanyahu and PM Modi went to Teen Murti Memorial to pay homage to soldiers who died in Haifa of World War 1. The ceremony marked the formal renaming of Teen Murti Chowk as the Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, after the battle fought by Indian soldiers at the port city, which is now in Israel.
"Welcome to India, my friend PM @netanyahu! Your visit to India is historic and special. It will further cement the close friendship between our nations," PM Modi tweeted.
In Delhi, Mr Netanyahu will have dinner with PM Modi and meet Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. Tomorrow, he will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and have further meetings with PM Modi. On Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu will visit the Taj Mahal and then attend the annual "Raisina Dialogue" geo-political conference.
One of Mr Netanyahu's stops on the trip will be in Mumbai, where he will meet with Bollwood stars in January 18. He will also visit PM Modi's home state Gujarat, where the two leaders will hold a roadshow.
Mr Netanyahu's visit -- the first by an Israeli premier since Ariel Sharon in 2003 -- is seen as an effort to build on the decision taken last July to elevate ties to a "strategic partnership". Israel needs large markets for its export-driven economy and has been working towards deepening ties with India and China.
The two nations will announce deals and joint investments in areas ranging from defence to renewable energy, Gilad Cohen, deputy director-general in charge of Asia at Israel's Foreign Ministry, said in a briefing on Wednesday.
Mr Netanyahu's 130-member delegation will include the head of the Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, which lost the $500 million deal to purchase Spike anti-tank guided missiles in November. The army and the government are discussing ways to revive the order, Army chief Bipin Rawat has said. India is one of Israel's biggest arms market, buying around $1 billion worth of weapons every year.
Last month, India joined 127 nations at UN to vote for a resolution opposing US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The status of Jerusalem is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
PM Netanyahu has said the UN vote wouldn't hurt ties. "Well I would have preferred a different vote to be frank, but I don't think it materially changes the tremendous flowering of relations between India and Israel," he said ahead of the visit. Israel's Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, too said "The vote at the UN is important, but it will not mar the big picture of the India-Israel relationship."
PM Modi had received a rousing welcome during his visit to the Jewish state in July last year. Mr Netanyahu, who referred to the Indian leader as his 'dear friend', received him at the airport and spent the next three days at his side. The bromance was seen to be carefully choreographed, complete with shots of bear hugs and them walking barefoot together through the Mediterranean surf.

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With A Hug At Airport, PM Modi Welcomes "Friend" Benjamin Netanyahu: 10 Facts

Israel and India will announce deals and joint investments in areas ranging from defence to renewable energy, Gilad Cohen, deputy director-general in charge of Asia at Israel's Foreign Ministry, said in a briefing on Wednesday.

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