Arab trains to carry Indian goods to Israeli port, says Foreign Minister Eli Cohen

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen, in New Delhi, Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Arab train networks in future will be carrying Indian goods to the Israeli port of Haifa, said Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen here on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Addressing the India-Israel Business Forum organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Cohen announced support for increasing the number of Indian employees in Israel and urged for an early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.  

“Our vision is that Israel, the Gulf Arab countries and India create the gate of the east to the west. The trade that will come from India will land at an Arab port and from there can be taken by train to Haifa port,” said Mr. Cohen laying out the outline of a new regional connectivity and trade that is unfolding in the West Asian region.

The visiting Minister’s comment on railway transport is an early sign of the shape of the connectivity projects that are emerging in India’s backyard in the West Asian region covering the leading GCC economies like the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab Gulf state to sign an agreement for normalisation with Israel in 2020. The Israel-UAE agreement known as the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement was followed by a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed between the both sides in May 2022.

Mr. Cohen’s visit to Delhi and Mumbai comes in the backdrop of growing interactions between India and Israel as the two sides are preparing for a possible visit from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India.

Mr. Cohen announced that the two sides are set to sign an agreement that will pave the way for increased number of Indian employees in Israel. It is understood that the agreement will be a “stepping stone” for the two sides towards the FTA. India has been keen for more work visas from Israel for getting the FTA and Israel on its part is keen to have “custom benefits” for agriculture technology products from the Indian side. The Hindu has learned that discussion is ongoing between the issues and modalities for the FTA.

Mr. Cohen is slated to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stay here. President of Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce Anat Bernstein-Reich who accompanied Mr Cohen in his trip echoed the minister’s remarks and said, “The bilateral trade is around $9 billion at present but we hope to take it to $20 billion within a decade and I think for that to happen India and Israel should sign the Free Trade Agreement because close strategic partners should have an FTA.” Ms. Bernstein-Reich who signed an MoU with the CII said bilateral cooperation will benefit India’s growing trade relations with other powers notably the I2U2 (Israel-India-USA-UAE) partners.