Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen begins 3-day India visit on Tuesday

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen will begin a three-day visit to India on Tuesday to explore ways to expand bilateral ties and prepare ground for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus trip to New Delhi this year.Cohen will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar covering the entire expanse of engagement between the two countries including in areas of strategic affairs and trade, diplomatic sources said.The visiting Israeli foreign minister will attend an India-Israel Business Forum being organised by industry chamber CII on Tuesday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen will begin a three-day visit to India on Tuesday to explore ways to expand bilateral ties and prepare ground for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to New Delhi this year.

Cohen will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar covering the entire expanse of engagement between the two countries including in areas of strategic affairs and trade, diplomatic sources said.

The visiting Israeli foreign minister will attend an India-Israel Business Forum being organised by industry chamber CII on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to visit Mumbai.

It is the third high-level visit by senior Israeli officials in less than three months, coming in quick succession after Knesset (Israeli parliament) speaker Amir Ohana's trip at the end of March-early April and also Economy Minister Nir Barkat's visit to India last month.

Cohen will be accompanied by a business delegation. The sources said his visit is also set to prepare ground for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's trip to India later this year. In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Netanyahu to visit India at an early date.

His visit to India in 2019 during his previous stint as the prime minister was called off due to scheduling issues. Both sides were working on a plan for his visit to India in 2021 but that did not materialise as he was ousted from power in June that year.

Netanyahu came back as the prime minister in December after his Likud party formed a coalition with some other parties following the elections.

The ties between India and Israel have been on an upswing in the last few years in a range of sectors including defence, agriculture and water management. In January, Prime Minister Modi had a telephonic conversation with Netanyahu during which both leaders agreed on the potential for further strengthening bilateral strategic cooperation.