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The future of India-Israel cooperation and relations is very bright, Israeli envoy to India Naor Gilon said.
Gilon's remarks came during the celebrations of 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India. To mark the milestone, the cultural department of the Israeli Embassy in India collaborated with Delhi Street Art to conceive and execute a wall art project.
Gilon along with Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India Meenakashi Lekhi unveiled a mural at Connaught Place in Delhi, which depicts and pays tribute to Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the early years of Indian cinema.
"We are celebrating 30 years of full diplomatic relations. I think in the last few years, relations have matured and became very intimate and also elevated to the level of strategic partnership not only by name but also by action," said the Israeli envoy.
"We have wonderful relations, we share a lot of views about the world and our interests are quite similar. I think the future of our cooperation and relations is very bright," he added.
Gilon further expressed hope that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will soon visit India. Notably, Bennett's India visit, which was scheduled from April 3 to 5, was cancelled after he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 28.
"We hoped for the visit of our Prime Minister but he contracted COVID-19 and had to cancel it at the last moment. We hope to have the visit soon," said the Israeli envoy.
Speaking on India-Israel cooperation in different areas, Gilon said, "We are working on free trade agreement (FTA). We are trying to increase cooperation, innovation, trade commerce, defence, and all fields which are of mutual interests to Indian and Israeli people."
Speaking on the occasion, MoS Lekhi said that the India-Israel relationship is very old and noted that Hebrew was taught in India when Israel was not even a country.
"We have a historical relationship. It is not just 30 years. We will keep organizing such events," she added.