- New Delhi, Tel Aviv sign pact to 'provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen the already strong defence cooperation'
ANKARA
India on Tuesday extended its support to the US Gaza peace plan, as top Indian and Israeli diplomats held talks in the capital New Delhi.
“India supports the Gaza peace plan and hopes that it paves the way for a durable and lasting solution,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.
Saar arrived in New Delhi late Monday night on an official visit.
The first phase of a ceasefire took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10 under US President Trump’s 20-point plan.
Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed over 68,800 people and injured more than 170,300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The trip to India by Saar follows the signing of the bilateral investment agreement between New Delhi and Israel in September this year.
India and Israel are strategic partners. In 2022, the two countries marked 30 years since the elevation of ties to full diplomatic relations. Bilateral trade between Israel and India reached nearly $4 billion last year.
'Unified vision to deepen defence cooperation'
Separately, Indian and Israeli officials held their 17th meeting of the Joint Working Group on defense cooperation in Tel Aviv, where they signed a pact.
The pact aims to "provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen the already strong defence cooperation between the two countries," said a statement after the meeting.
It said the two sides identified areas of cooperation, including strategic dialogues, training, defense industrial cooperation and capabilities, science and technology, research and development and technological innovation, artificial intelligence and cyber security cooperation.
The pact "will enable the sharing of advanced technology and would promote co-development and co-production," it said.