Israelis should start “looking toward the East” for investment and cooperation opportunities with India, Ambassador to Israel J.P. Singh told The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein, Singh made the case for India to be a hub for Israeli companies to invest in as a means of “institutionalizing” the relationship between India and the Jewish state.
“There is a lot of potential in various sectors between the two countries, and we need to build our relationship,” Singh told Klein. “We are strategic partners, but we need to institutionalize our relationship further.”
Singh explained that, while Israel and India share common democratic values, more can be done to “combine the strengths of the Start-Up Nation and the scale-up nation.”
Furthermore, the ambassador noted that India’s relationship with Israel is defined by their shared challenges, chiefly the threat of terror, in addition to their shared values.
India wants peace and security in Middle East, envoy says
“India has a lot of stakes in the Middle East,” the Indian envoy told the Diplomatic Conference. “From India’s point of view, we all want peace and security in the region... but we need to see how the problem started.”
According to Singh, “It all started with October 7. In India, we have been victims of numerous terror attacks, so we know the pain suffered by families. The human instinct is to have peace.”
Singh said that Israel and India’s connection stems from this shared front, adding that New Delhi maintains its “defense cooperation with many countries, including Israel.”
When asked about the steps taken to institutionalize the nations’ ties, he said, “We are working on laying out foundations for this relationship. Most Israelis are looking toward the West because of historical ties... the time has come when you should be looking toward the East.”
“When you look east, you will find India,” Singh concluded.