Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home today after his historic two-day visit to Israel. During his visit, the two countries signed 16 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in a range of bilateral areas including agricultural innovation, cultural cooperation, R&D, and deepening technological ties.
One of the key agreements includes the establishment of an agricultural research and innovation center in India, which will operate training programs, expert exchanges, and academic cooperation between the countries. The agreements reflect a joint attempt to expand economic and technological collaboration and deepen the strategic partnership between Jerusalem and Delhi.
After signing the agreements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi put out joint statements to the media at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, stressing the warm atmosphere and progress in relations between the countries. “This is an amazing visit with an amazing result,” Netanyahu said in his opening remarks alongside Modi. “It was short but very productive and exciting.” He said the two countries are working on “concrete plans.”
Netanyahu noted that another meeting between the countries government leaders will take place in India and praised Modi’s effectiveness. For his part, Modi thanked Netanyahu for the welcome and said that stepping once again on the “historic and inspiring soil of Israel” was an emotional moment for him. He thanked the Knesset, which he addressed, and the Israeli public for the honor bestowed upon him, including a medal he received from the Speaker of the Knesset, which he dedicated to “1.4 billion Indians and the friendship between India and Israel.”
“This friendship is built on deep foundations of democratic and human values,” Modi said. “Our ties have stood the test of time. Today, we have taken a historic decision to elevate our long-standing partnership to a special strategic partnership, symbolizing the aspirations of our two peoples.”
He said the two countries will soon complete a new free trade agreement, with ties between the peoples forming the basis of cooperation. Modi said the talks between the leaders covered “a wide range of regional and global issues,” including advancing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which is the joint initiative of India, Israel, the UAE and the US.
“We both agreed that terrorism has no place in the world, regardless of its form or expression,” Modi said. “We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder against terrorism and its supporters.” He added that India supports efforts to promote peace in Gaza and will continue dialogue and cooperation with countries in the region.
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Modi described the visit as an “important milestone” in relations between the countries and noted that ties between Israel and India continue to deepen in many areas, security, agriculture, water, development and employment, and are driven primarily by cooperation between the societies and publics of the two countries.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on February 26, 2026.
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