Israel announced on Sunday that its Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would pay a visit to India on April 2 -- a visit that is considered significant in light of the West Asian nation's strategic ties with New Delhi, and also because of the altered geopolitical state of affairs in the world after Russia attacked Ukraine.
India and Israel, who celebrated the 30th anniversary of full diplomatic relations this January, have a close defence cooperation, with Tel Aviv supplying numerous cutting-edge weapon systems to India, and are members of the Middle-Eastern Quad, a four-nation strategic alliance in West Asia. The other two members of the group are the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Another aspect of Bennett's New Delhi visit that strategic observers will be watching closely is his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India has always been an ally of Russia, and the Israeli Prime Minister has recently attempted to mediate a peace between Russia and Ukraine.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced on Sunday that "Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will conduct his first official visit to India on Saturday, 2 April 2022, at the request of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi." The leaders initially met last October on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, where Prime Minister Modi invited Prime Minister Bennett to undertake an official visit to India. This visit will reinforce the crucial relationship between the countries and their leaders, as well as honour the 30th anniversary of Israel-India relations."
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