Timing Of Krishna’S Maiden Trip To Israel Holds The Key

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[size=4][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]NEW DELHI: The timing of foreign minister S M Krishna's visit to [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Israel"]Israel[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] on Sunday is what makes his trip - the first by an Indian foreign minister in almost a decade - significant. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]Krishna's visit comes when India and Israel are celebrating 20 years of diplomatic relations, but also at a time when the West Asia is in the throes of different uprisings, and the prospect of a conflict with [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Iran"]Iran[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] is sharper than ever. To maintain "balance", Krishna will also meet the[/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Palestinian-Authority"]Palestinian Authority[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] in [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Ramallah"]Ramallah[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] as well as a stopover in [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Jordan"]Jordan[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] and the [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/United-Arab-Emirates"]UAE[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]During his visit, Krishna will be meeting the entire top leadership in Israel, a sign that the relationship, which has evolved rapidly in the past couple of decades, is one of India's most important. Krishna is expected to call on Israeli President [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Shimon-Peres"]Simon Peres[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] and Prime Minister[/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Benjamin-Netanyahu"]Binyamin Netanyahu[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left], besides holding talks with deputy PM and foreign minister [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Avigdor-Lieberman"]Avigdor Lieberman[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] and finance minister Yuval Steinitz. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]He will visit pay his respects at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, apart from the Indian War Cemetery, where 79 Indian soldiers killed in the World War I are buried, and an Indian hospice in the old city of Jerusalem. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]Krishna is likely to announce the opening of a new Israeli consulate in Bangalore. This would be important for the growing technology ties between the two countries, spanning defence and space technologies, information and pharmaceutical as well as a burgeoning security relationship. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]An extradition treaty and another agreement for transfer of sentenced persons is likely to be signed during the visit. The last foreign minister to visit Israel was [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Jaswant-Singh"]Jaswant Singh[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] in 2000. But the discussions will cover critical issues like Iran, Arab uprising, and even energy cooperation as Israel prepares to become a gas-rich economy, with huge gas finds in the eastern Mediterranean.[/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]India will be looking at more counter-terror and defence cooperation with Israel, but the two countries plan to diversify ties. Agriculture will dominate the "deliverables" of the visit. Israel will sponsor over 100 post-doctoral fellowships of Indian scholars, with a large chunk in the farm sector. Israel is in the midst of executing about 27 agricultural projects in seven key Indian states. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]India and Israel are negotiating a free-trade agreement which is likely to push up bilateral trade to about $15 billion - the defence trade is around $9 billion - according to some estimates. India believes Israel can play an important role in augmenting India's efforts to ensure food security. The two sides are also expected to unveil a composite Indo-Israeli fund for spurring research and development in various fields. [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]After the trip to [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Tel-Aviv"]Tel Aviv[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left] and [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Jerusalem"]Jerusalem[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left], Krishna will travel to Ramallah to meet Prime Minister of the [/left][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Palestine-National-Authority"]Palestine National Authority[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][/font][/color][url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Salam-Fayaad"]Salam Fayaad[/url][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left], and is expected to announce fresh aid for the development of the Palestinian territory. He is expected to reiterate [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][left]India's commitment to an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. [/left][/font][/color][/size]

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