India-Israel Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation

Context

India and Israel signed a ‘vision Statement’ to further deepen the long-standing defence cooperation between the Defence Minister of India and his visiting Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz.

• This year marks the 30th anniversary of establishing official diplomatic ties between India and Israel.

Key-highlights

• India is an industrial superpower and Israel is a technological superpower – cooperation between our countries will expand the capabilities of both countries to contend with developing challenges.
• The two Ministers presented a joint declaration marking 30 years of Israel-India relations and reiterated their commitment to deepening defence ties.
• A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of futuristic defence technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.
• The discussion covered topics including strategic global challenges, military cooperation, defence industrial cooperation and joint Research and Development (R&D). 
• They also discussed a cooperation agreement signed between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel’s Directorate for Defence R&D, which will enable the expansion of technological collaboration and development between the countries.
• The Ministers declared their intention to further develop defence cooperation in a manner that harnesses Israel’s “technological advance and operational experience”, together with India’s “extraordinary development and production capabilities”.
• In addition, the Ministers discussed partnerships within the government-to-government framework, military training, and technological cooperation with a focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and defensive capabilities.