Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister of Israel Lt Gen Benjamin Gantz on Friday. Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening the defence engagements. They also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing collaboration in research and development in fighting pandemic Covid-19 which will not only benefit the two countries but also aid the larger humanitarian cause. The Defence Minister invited greater participation of Israeli defence companies under the new liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in defence manufacturing.
The two ministers exchanged views on regional developments. The Defence Minister of Israel responded positively to an invitation from Rajnath Singh to visit India at the earliest opportunity. One of the sources aware of the discussion informed The Daily Guardian, on the condition of anonymity, “The emergency purchase of weapons, especially few missiles and air defence system for the Indian Army and the Air Force was the key agenda of the telephone conversation.” It must be noted that Israel and India share best of the relations in all domains and Israel has always stood by India in providing quick defence purchases whenever India needed it.