'Global power that is India'

New Delhi: “Global power that is India,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday as he spoke ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit, scheduled for next week, praising India’s growing stature on the world stage. Highlighting the special bond between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, Netanyahu posted on X from the official account of his office, saying, “This week, expression will be given to the special relationship that has been forged over recent years between Israel and the global power that is India, and between myself and its leader, PM Modi.”

He added, "We are personal friends; we speak frequently on the phone and visit one another. I have visited India, and Modi has visited here. We waded together in the waters of the Mediterranean, and much water has flowed since then in the Mediterranean, the Ganges, and the Jordan, though less in the Jordan." This will be PM Modi’s second visit to Israel, following his landmark 2017 trip, when he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country. Israeli PM Netanyahu earlier in the day said that both sides would seek to further strengthen economic, diplomatic and security cooperation during the visit.