Statements by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Indian Minister of External Affairs Krishna  S.M. Krishna
 
[Transcript]

 

PM Netanyahu: I'm delighted to welcome Foreign Minister Krishna to Jerusalem.

India and Israel are two ancient peoples seizing the future: in technology, in innovation, in enterprise, and I think we can seize it even better by our cooperation. So I look forward, Minister, to discuss with you all these areas of cooperation between us, including the signing in the near future of a free trade agreement to multiply our trade and to increase the cooperation economically between India and Israel. It's a pleasure to welcome you here sir.

 

Minister Krishna: Thank you very much, Prime Minister Netanyahu. It is a great pleasure for me and an honor to come to Israel.

 

Twenty years back we set up our diplomatic relationship and we will be entering into the third decade for diplomatic engagement and I have come here basically to chart out a road map for the next two decades of India-Israel cooperation. We have learned so much from Israel, particularly in the field of agriculture and science and technology innovation. And India is naturally an ally of Israel in all these frontiers of science and I look forward to an increased economic content to our existing political relationship.

 

I think my visit primarily would be focusing on the economic content, security, terror - these are some of the issues which are commonly faced both by Israel as well as India. So I think we will have to work out a strategy as to how we address ourselves to the scourge of international terrorism which has become the curse for the entire humanity. I think our efforts should be to checkmate and ultimately eradicate terrorists from the face of the earth.

 

PM Netanyahu: You have set forth great missions for our two countries. I'm sure that we can advance this in our conversations and in future contacts, and I want to tell you that I've calculated that together Israel and India comprise a sixth of the world's population. We make up our small contribution, but we punch above our weight. I think together we can accomplish great things, and again I welcome you to Jerusalem. Thank you.