Calling India "a strong, strategic partner", Israel has vowed to take its developmental partnership with New Delhi to a new level.
As she concluded her week-long India visit on Thursday, Eynat Shlein, the head of MASHAV – Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation at its Ministry of Foreign Affairs – said that agriculture and water remain the two most significant pillars of growing relations between the two countries.
Committed to working with India, with which it has its largest development projects, Israel continues to expand cooperation with all its partners in the country, enhancing the strategic partnership between the two nations at the same time.
Currently Israel has 29 fully-active Indo-Israeli Centers of Excellence in different parts of India, which are benefiting millions of Indian farmers on a daily basis. Thirteen more such centers are in the pipeline. Gradually these centers will be expanded into 'Villages of Excellence' in partnership with local state governments, which will further prove beneficial for larger populations.
Eynat Shlein's June 10-16 visit aimed to further strengthen Israel-India strategic partnership and development cooperation in the fields of agriculture and water.
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"India is a strong, strategic partner of Israel. The two most significant pillars of our growing relations are cooperation in agriculture and water, which was the focus during my visit to India. These two fields are so important that out of the 6 resident experts that MASHAV posted around the world, 2 are based in India," said Ambassador Shlein.
Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon and MASHAV head Eynat Shlein, held extensive discussions with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about expanding the existing strong partnership between Israel & Uttar Pradesh (Image courtesy: Twitter/@IsraelinIndia)
Founded in 1957, the agency is responsible for the design, coordination and implementation of Israel's development cooperation programmes. It focuses on human capacity building and 'Training the Trainers' as the best way to achieve maximum impact and sustainable growth.
During the visit, Shlein toured Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. She met with senior government officials, local farmers and also visited Indo-Israeli Centers of Excellence that have been established under the framework of Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP).
In Lucknow, she held a bilateral meeting with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as both sides had an extensive discussion about enhancing the existing cooperation and future joint projects in water management and agriculture.
"One of the main highlights of this visit was the signing of a joint declaration between the State of Israel and the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Government of Haryana, India in the field of integrated water resources management and capacity building. As part of this joint declaration, MASHAV will share knowledge, capacity building and Israeli technologies for the development of Haryana in the water management sector," said the Israeli embassy in New Delhi.
During the visit, Shlein also met with senior leaders from Rajasthan government's Department of Agriculture and Horticulture besides also holding discussions with Economic Relations officials at the Ministry of External Affairs about continuing dialogues between both nations on development cooperation. She also visited the office of National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti to discuss various areas of cooperation in the water sector.
Departing, 1 week in #India, I’m reflecting on the many great meetings & discussions during my visit, and the beautiful sights 🌿☀️I hope that the tree I planted at our CoE in #Basti #UP will grow and bear fruit, like Indo-Israeli productive alliance! @MASHAVisrael @IsraelinIndia pic.twitter.com/QkccE1XtZR
— Eynat Shlein (@EynatShlein) June 16, 2022
MASHAV maintains contact with former course participants through its network of over 70 locations worldwide, which serve as a forum for MASHAV alumni to organize professional and social activities, to exchange ideas and to stay informed about Israel and MASHAV affairs. Activities, organized by Shalom Clubs, vary from professional workshops, B2B meetings, raising funds for local charities to community development and humanitarian acts. Members of the Shalom Clubs play an integral role in determining the focus and scope of Club's activities.
A 'Shalom Club Meet' was also organized during Shlein's visit where the ambassador shared her vision with MASHAV alumni from India. These alumni have received training in Israel in various courses such as water, agriculture, health, women empowerment and more. During the meeting, the alumni exchanged ideas and shared their experiences in Israel.
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