The 14th meeting of the India-Israel Forum took place December 8th and 9th at the Tel Aviv University campus and featured a speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who emphasized the need to deepen relations between the two countries and create new avenues of cooperation.
The Forum is hosted by Tel Aviv University together with the Ananta Aspen Center and Confederation of Indian Industry. A major bilateral mechanism, the forum brings over 40 senior leaders from the Indian and Israeli governments, business and academic communities together in the heart of the Jewish State.
Honorary guests at the 14th rendition of the forum included President Herzog, Foreign minister and Alternate PM Yair Lapid, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alon Ushpiz, and others. Topics discussed in the forum were global and regional dynamics, the Israel-India relationship, academic ties, cyber security, and economic and trade relations.
“India and Israel are two ancient nations, two proud democracies and two creative peoples. Together we can lead the way in developing innovation for the benefit of our nations and the entire world,” said President Herzog. “We must expand the circle of Israelis and Indians who are working together… (there is) great potential to expand cooperation in a range of fields, including health, trade, defense, environment and combating the COVID-19 pandemic,” Herzog declared.
Alon Ushpiz, the Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for both nations to increase the scale and visibility of cooperation between the two countries, calling India a strategic partner for Israel.
“Israel-India relations are coming into full fruition and we should start chasing new horizons,” said Sanjeev Singla, the Indian Ambassador to Israel, who noted that next year will mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel. “(It is) imperative that Israel and India work together to harness our technological and scientific strengths to prepare for these shifts,” Singla concluded.
The forum plans to reconvene for their 15th rendition in the second half of 2022 in India.