Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will be visiting India in April this year at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the official Twitter account of the Israeli PM stated on Sunday, 20 March.
"I am delighted to pay my first official visit to India at the invitation of my friend @PMOIndia," PM Bennett said in the tweet.
The date of the visit has been fixed at 2 April 2022, the Israeli prime minister's foreign media adviser said in a statement, as per a report by PTI.
PM Bennett's visit will mark the 30th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic ties between India and Israel.
"This visit will reaffirm the important connection between the countries and the leaders, and will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Israel and India," the statement said.
The two heads of state had first met on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in October 2021, when PM Modi had invited PM Bennett to pay an official visit to India, the media adviser said.
"The purpose of the visit is to advance and strengthen the strategic alliance between the countries, and to expand bilateral ties. In addition, the leaders will discuss the strengthening of cooperation in a variety of areas, including innovation, economy, research and development, agriculture and more," the adviser added.
'PM Modi Restarted India-Israel Relations'
Meanwhile, PM Bennett was quoted as saying in the statement, "I am delighted to pay my first official visit to India at the invitation of my friend, Prime Minister Modi, and together we will continue leading the way for our countries' relations."
He also added that PM Modi restarted relations between the two countries, adding that both India and Israel had deep and unique cultures.
"Modi restarted relations between India and Israel, and this is of historic importance. The relations between our two unique cultures - the Indian culture and the Jewish culture - are deep, and they rely on deep appreciation and meaningful collaborations," Bennett said.
Apart from PM Modi, Bennett will be meeting senior government officials as well as members from the Jewish community in India, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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