Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and congratulated him on his election victory.
The two leaders agreed to continue strengthening bilateral relations and bring them to new heights in the near future.
Modi, 73, won his third term on Wednesday. However, in what was considered an election surprise, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its absolute majority in parliament for the first time since taking power a decade ago. However, the party is set to form a government with allied parties in the National Democratic Alliance.
Modi and Netanyahu have developed a strong working relationship. In January 2023, Modi congratulated Netanyahu shortly after he formed a new Israeli government on Dec. 29, 2022, following the Nov. 1 elections.
They vowed to advance bilateral ties between the Jewish state and the world’s most populous democracy.
“Was a pleasure to speak with my good friend, @netanyahu. Congratulated him for his impressive election win and for becoming Prime Minister for a record sixth time,” Modi tweeted.
“Delighted that we will have another chance to advance the India-Israel Strategic Partnership together.”
A week earlier, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar phoned his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen to congratulate him on assuming his post.
“Look forward to partnering [with Cohen] in taking our cooperation forward. Value his many insights, including on economy and security,” Jaishankar wrote in a follow-up Twitter post.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, “India is Israel’s 10th-largest trade partner overall, and Israel’s third-largest trade partner in Asia after China and Hong Kong.”
Bilateral trade has diversified in recent years into pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT, telecom and homeland security.
