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QUESTION NO.2154 INDIA-ISRAEL COOPERATION

December 16, 2021

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2154
TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2021

INDIA-ISRAEL COOPERATION

2154. SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that India-Israel cooperation during pandemic is very useful;

(b) if so, the details of partnership and business transactions made between the two countries; and

(c) the details of recent visit of diplomats to Israel?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) Yes.

(b) Since the global onset of the covid pandemic last year, the cooperation between India and Israel has been steered at the highest level. Our PM had telephone calls with the Israeli Prime Minister several times last year and this year (12 March, 2020; 3 April, 2020; 10 June, 2020; 05 October, 2020; and 01 February, 2021), during which the two leaders explored possible collaboration in combating the pandemic, including by improving the availability of pharmaceutical supplies, innovative use of high technology, cooperation in research and development efforts in the fields of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

PM Modi and the new Israeli PM Naftali Bennett met on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on 02 November 2021 and discussed cooperation in combating the pandemic, among others.

Soon after the outbreak of COVID pandemic in April 2020, India had sent medicines (5 tonnes of HCQs) and 50,000 N95 masks to Israel. Israel has helped us in the procurement of medical equipment including 247 flight-60 ventilators from an Israeli company in 2020. Israel also granted medical equipments that include 1718 oxygen concentrators, 3 Oxygen generation plants and 417 ventilators, during the second wave of the pandemic in India earlier this year.

During the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar to Israel on 17-21 October, 2021, India and Israel agreed, in principle, for mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccine certificates for which the technical teams from both sides are in touch.

(c) Due to the travel restrictions related to Covid-19, most of the interactions have been held virtual including the 1st India-Israel Policy Planning Dialogue on 21 October 2020 and 16th Foreign Office Consultations on 07 December 2020.

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