India, US to establish joint forum on economic cooperation, focus on infrastructure, tech

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, on October 19, held a virtual quadrilateral meeting with his Israeli, American, and Emirati counterparts wherein he agreed to establish a joint forum for economic cooperation. According to a press release, Jaishankar, along with Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, and UAE foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, talked about possibilities of launching collaborative infrastructure programs in the field of transportation, technology, maritime security, economy, and trade. For this purpose, the leaders agreed on appointing senior-level officials to form a  joint working group that would be tasked with formulating options on the aforementioned areas of cooperation. 

Jaishankar is currently on a five-day official visit to the state of Israel and has already held talks with his zionist counterpart. Tuesday’s meeting focussed on bolstering economic cooperation and infrastructure projects further. “During the conversation, the Quartet of Foreign Ministers held a discussion on the possibility of joint infrastructure in the fields of transportation, technology, maritime security, economics & trade, and other joint projects,” Yair Lapid's desk said in an online statement. 

Additionally, the four leaders deliberated upon other mutual issues of concern, including the expansion of economic and political cooperation through trade, energy sharing, tackling climate change and increasing maritime security.  In a later press release, US State Department said, “Secretary Antony Blinken and the Ministers also discussed people-to-people ties in technology and science, and how to support global public health in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Notably, during the video meeting, Blinken also reiterated President Joe Biden’s backing for the US-Brokered Abraham Accords between Israel and UAE and touted prospects of further cooperation. 

Jaishankar visit Israeli Airfield

Meanwhile, Jaishankar visited the Ovda airfield in southern Israel on Tuesday and spoke with servicemen of the Indian Air Force who are taking part in the Blue Flag 2021 international exercise. He expressed his delight at witnessing the mutual respect and coordination between Indian and Israeli forces. He also emphasised the importance of defence and security in India-Israel relations. EAM Jaishankar announced that he went to Ovda Airbase to meet the Indian Air Force, who are participating in the Blue Flag exercise. According to him, he was pleasantly surprised to discover the mutual respect and synergy between Indian and Israeli Air Force personnel. Along with the tweet, he also shared four pictures of himself with the Indian Air Force.

Image: IsraelMFA/Twitter