New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz for bilateral talks. Gantz, who arrived in India on Thursday, was greeted by a Tri-Service Guard of Honour and laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi in the presence of Rajnath Singh.

"I am honoured to begin my journey to India at the National War Memorial, where I will pay tribute to dead soldiers and learn about the country's history. This is a significant homage as we approach the 30th anniversary of our countries' growing relations and defence connections "Benny Gantz sent out a tweet. Israeli Minister Gantz came to India Monday, marking three decades of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The visit was supposed to happen in March, but it was postponed.

Gantz had tweeted, "Before setting departure for India, "I'm currently on my way to India for a visit that will honour the 30th anniversary of Israel-India diplomatic defence ties. I will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on my visit to discuss expanding our partnership." Earlier in March, during a phone discussion with Rajnath Singh, Israel's Defense Minister informed him that his planned visit to India from March 30-31 had been postponed owing to unavoidable circumstances.

According to Israeli local media, the March summit was to feature discussions on boosting India-Israel security relations. In recent years, Tel Aviv has attempted to strengthen defence connections with New Delhi, particularly in the fields of air and missile defence, according to report.

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