Best time to take forward India-Israel relations, set new goals: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there cannot be a better time to set new goals for taking forward IndiaIsrael relations and asserted that the importance of the relationship has increased amid significant changes in the worldIn a special video message on the completion of 30 years of fullfledged diplomatic relations between India and Israel Modi said people of India and Israel have always shared a special relationship This day holds importance in our relationship as full diplomatic ties were established between the two countries 30 years ago A new chapter between the two countries had begun It was a new chapter but history between us is ageold he saidFor centuries the Jew community has stayed in India in a harmonious environment without any discrimination and has grown It has made an important contribution in our developmental journey Modi saidAt a time when significant changes are taking place in the world the importance of IndiaIsrael ties has further increased he asserted There cannot be a better opportunity than now for setting new goals for mutual cooperation when India is marking 75 years of its independence Israel will mark 75 years of its independence next year and the two countries are marking 30 years of their diplomatic ties Modi said On this important milestone of 30 years I congratulate all I am confident that IndiaIsrael friendship will continue to set new records of mutual cooperation in the decades to come he saidThough India had recognised Israel on September 17 1950 fullfledged diplomatic relations between the countries were established on January 29 1992 Since then the bilateral relations between both countries have developed into a multifaceted strategic partnership Earlier this week Israels envoy to India Naor Gilon had said the 30th anniversary of IndiaIsrael diplomatic ties is a good opportunity to look ahead and shape the next 30 years of relationsHe exuded confidence that the close cooperation between the two countries in different fields will only grow further in the coming years Indias Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla had said We are proud to mark the 30th anniversary of our bilateral relations and look forward to using the special logo released throughout the year to celebrate this special milestoneEmphasising that friendship and trust are not only positive traits but also real assets the foreign ministers of India and Israel in a joint oped for an Israeli daily on Friday had said the two countries have worked together to deepen their roots for the last three decades delving together to find solutions to common challenges including in the security sector External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid contributed a joint piece Deepening Roots for Israel Hayom to mark 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries Incidentally a New York Times report claiming that India bought Pegasus spyware as part of a USD 2 billion defence deal with Israel in 2017 triggered a major controversy on Saturday with the Opposition alleging that the government indulged in illegal snooping that amounted to treasonCongress and some other opposition parties indicated that they would raise the issue strongly in the Budget Session of Parliament starting Monday even as Union minister Gen retd V K Singh called The New York Times Supari Media A government source however said the matter related to the Pegasus software was being monitored by a committee under the Supreme Court headed by retired Supreme Court judge R V Raveendran and its report was awaitedAt the same time Indias former permanent representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin dismissed as utter rubbish the insinuation in the NYT report which cited Indias 2019 vote in support of Israel at the UNs Economic and Social Council to highlight deepening of ties after a deal that included the sale of PegasusThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever