New Delhi: In his first conversation with his Israeli counterpart Major General Yoav Gallant, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh March three discussed key projects relating to co-development of military hardware. Singh congratulated Gallant on his appointment as the Defence Minister of Israel.

Singh invited Israeli Industries to deepen their investments in Joint Ventures and identify areas for collaboration, particularly in niche technologies.

Singh underlined the government’s priority for indigenisation and domestic manufacturing of defence equipment under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

He acknowledged the cooperation of Israeli industries towards nurturing a vibrant and world class defence manufacturing ecosystem in India and invited Israeli Industries to deepen their investments in Joint Ventures with Indian companies with an aim to identify areas for collaboration, particularly in niche technologies.

“Was happy to speak with the Defence Minister of Israel, Major General Yoav Gallant. India attaches tremendous importance to its relations with Israel,” Singh said in a tweet.

“Looking forward to work closely with him towards strengthening the defence cooperation between both the countries,” he said.

According to sources quoted by a news agency,  the two ministers discussed key projects relating to co-development of military hardware.

He expressed pleasure at the signing of some important MoUs between Indian and Israeli companies during the recently concluded Aero India 2023. The Defence Minister of Israel highlighted the positive role played by India in the region and conveyed his Government’s keen interest in enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Both Ministers affirmed their commitment to further deepening of bilateral defence relationship under the framework of ‘Vision Statement’ adopted last year.

In a tweet, Gallant said both sides will promote important defence projects. “I spoke this morning with my Indian counterpart @rajnathsingh. We discussed shared security challenges and strategic issues. Israel and India recently celebrated 30 years of diplomatic ties – together, we will further deepen our bond and promote important defence projects,” he said.

A statement from Gallant’s office said he expressed his commitment to further deepening defence ties between Israel and India and promoting strategic dialogue, research and development and industrial cooperation.

The defence ties between the two sides have been on an upswing in the last few years.