Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Arrives In India On 3-Day Tour In His 1st Official Visit

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has arrived in India on his first official visit that will continue for three days ahead of PM Netanyau's expected visit this year.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Tuesday arrived in India on his first official visit that will continue for three days to explore ways to expand bilateral ties between the two countries. He will meet his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and will hold wide-ranging talks covering the entire expanse of engagement between India and Israel including in areas of strategic affairs and trade, reported PTI citing diplomatic sources.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi informed about Cohen’s arrival in Delhi and tweeted, "A warm welcome to FM @elicoh1 of Israel on his first official visit to India. Looking forward to the visit further strengthening the multifaceted - partnership."  

Cohen will attend an India-Israel Business Forum being organised by industry chamber CII on Tuesday after his meeting with Jaishankar. He will participate in a special conversation organised by the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute on Tuesday in New Delhi. He will depart for Agra in the evening to attend a programme scheduled to be held on May 10, according to a media advisory released by the Ministry of External Affairs, as per ANI.

Following his engagements in Agra, the minister will return to Delhi before departing for a programme in Mumbai on May 11.

As per PTI, this is the third high-level visit by senior Israeli officials in less than three months. Knesset (Israeli parliament) speaker Amir Ohana visited India at the end of March-early April and Economy Minister Nir Barkat visited the country last month.

Notably, Cohen will be accompanied by a business delegation. PTI reported citing sources that his visit is also set to prepare the 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. It is important to note that Netanyahu's visit to India in 2019, during his previous stint as the prime minister, was called off due to scheduling issues. PTI mentioned that both sides were working on a plan for his visit to India in 2021 but it couldn't happen as he was ousted from power in June that year.

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