Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday wrapped up a three-day visit to Israel where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior government and business leaders.
Goyal conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warmest greetings to Netanyahu and provided an update on his recent meetings with Economy Minister Nir Barkat, along with the outcomes of both the Business Forum and the CEOs Forum.
In a post on the social media platform, Mr. Goyal highlighted the signing of terms for the official launch Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks, which are expected to boost trade, investment and technological cooperation between the two nations. He also discussed strengthening innovation linkages through mergers Israeli high-tech expertise with India’s considerable range and talent.
Goyal asked Netanyahu for guidance on further developing economic and strategic engagement in key sectors such as agriculture, water, defense, science, technology and innovation.
“Honored to invite Prime Minister of Israel HE @Netanyahu at the end of my 3-day visit. Conveyed Prime Minister @NarendraModi ji’s warm wishes to him. Briefed him about my discussions with Minister @NirBarkat and the successful organization of Business Forum and CEOs Forum held with over 60 Indian business delegation accompanying me,” said Goyal Piyush.
“He highlighted the signing of terms of reference to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement that will boost trade, investment and technology cooperation. They discussed strengthening our innovation partnership by combining Israel’s hi-tech strengths with India’s scale and talent. He accepted his instructions to further deepen bilateral economic and strategic engagement across agriculture, water management, defence, science and technology and innovation sectors,” wrote Piyush Goyal.
Strengthening of bilateral ties
The meeting underscores the developing cooperation between India and Israel across economic, technological and strategic fields and paves the way for enhanced cooperation in the coming years.
During his visit to Israel, the Minister of Commerce made a series of wide-ranging commitments that further strengthened bilateral cooperation across agriculture, technology, innovation and trade.
In his November 21 meeting, Goyal sat down with Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter for a detailed discussion on advancing agricultural cooperation. Minister Dichter briefed Goyal on Israel’s 25-year food security plan, its advanced seed improvement strategies and the country’s global leadership in water reuse technologies for agriculture.
The previous day, on November 20, 2025, Goyal began his official itinerary with a meeting with Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat. The two leaders reviewed the current trajectory of bilateral trade and explored new avenues of cooperation.
