NEW DELHI, India — Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Friday welcomed the India-U.S. trade deal, calling it a “very important development” that could expand opportunities for economic cooperation among the three countries.
In an exclusive interview, Azar said Israel’s deep ties with the U.S. market position it well to benefit from a more open trade environment. “As you know, Israel is also very engaged with the American market. We get about 80 per cent of our foreign investments from the United States, and Israel is the biggest innovation hub outside the United States,” he said.
“When the system opens, it creates more opportunities for Israeli, Indian, and US companies to work together,” Azar added.
India and Israel have already taken steps toward deepening their own economic relationship, having signed the terms of reference to guide negotiations for a balanced and comprehensive free trade agreement. The document was signed in Tel Aviv in November 2025 by India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat, formally launching talks aimed at boosting trade, investment, and cooperation in areas such as technology, defence, and agriculture. Further negotiations are expected as the process moves forward.
Beyond trade, the two countries are also expanding sector-specific collaboration. In January this year, India and Israel signed a joint ministerial declaration of intent to strengthen bilateral cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture, recognising Israel’s advanced technologies and innovations alongside India’s vast aquatic resources, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
The agreement was signed during the visit of a high-level Indian delegation led by Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who travelled to Israel from January 13 to 15, 2026, to attend the second global summit on “Blue Food Security: Sea the Future 2026” in Eilat.
The joint declaration outlines a comprehensive framework for cooperation across multiple areas of mutual interest. These include joint research and development in advanced aquaculture technologies such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, biofloc, cage culture, aquaponics, and aquarium systems, including oceanariums, as well as expertise in breeding high-yield species.
The cooperation plan also covers pathogen-free seed improvement strategies and broodstock development. A key component under consideration is the establishment of new India-Israel Centres of Excellence for Fisheries and Aquaculture, modeled on the network of 43 agricultural Centres of Excellence already operating under the long-standing collaboration between the two countries. (Source: IANS)
