Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, on his first visit to India, met Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. He held discussions with the CM which focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation. Smotrich expressed interest in investment opportunities in GIFT City, India’s financial technology protocols, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system.
Smotrich noted the historic and cultural ties between India, Gujarat and Israel, and said he had come to Gujarat to see the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that the close relationship between the prime ministers of both countries, and their shared commitment to combating terrorism, had deepened bilateral relations.
Chief Minister Patel underlined India’s support for Israel in its stance against terrorism, saying both nations follow a zero-tolerance approach. He conveyed condolences for the recent loss of lives in Israel and praised the country’s resilience.
Patel highlighted Israel’s expertise in drip irrigation and its success in achieving high agricultural yields with limited water resources. “Gujarat is positively inclined towards collaboration in this area, as well as in other development projects,” Patel said.
On investment opportunities, Patel proposed forming a joint team of officials from Gujarat and Israel to explore possibilities in GIFT City.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister MK Das, Finance Principal Secretary T Natarajan, Additional Principal Secretary to the CM Avantika Singh, Finance Secretary Arti Kanwar, and CM’s Secretary Vikrant Pandey.
