Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar Praises India as Global Superpower, Strengthening Strategic Ties
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited India, calling it a 'global superpower' and highlighting the growing strategic partnership, including a forthcoming defence MoU. The visit underscored deepening cooperation in defence, counterterrorism, and trade amidst regional tensions. Both nations emphasized zero tolerance for terrorism and discussed advancing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, on his first visit to India, lavished praise on India by describing it as a 'global superpower' and acknowledged the strengthening partnership between the two democracies. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for early support following recent Hamas terror attacks. The visit included high-level meetings with India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval, focusing on bilateral relations, defence cooperation, and counterterrorism. An MoU for defence cooperation is underway, enhancing collaboration in technology and security. The discussions also touched on reviving the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), reflecting shared strategic interests. Indian side reaffirmed zero tolerance for terrorism and expressed openness to greater public engagement with Israel amid reduced Arab backlash concerns. Experts noted India maintains its traditional stance supporting a two-state solution while fostering ties with Israel for strategic benefits. Israeli officials consider India their most important partner outside the Western and Arab worlds, partly due to constraints on Israel-China defence sales. Potential Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit is seen as symbolic domestically rather than strategically transformative for India. The overall narrative reveals evolving India-Israel ties marked by mutual trust, security cooperation, and expanding economic and technological collaboration.
