Indian, Israeli officials to meet next week on free trade pact

NEW DELHI: Officials of India and Israel would discuss next week issues related to the proposed free trade agreement between the countries, which are aimed at further strengthening economic ties between the countries.

Israel's Director General of the Ministry of Economy Amit Lang will be visiting the national capital on February 9-10.

He will be accompanied by other officials from the Ministry of Economy, including Ohad Cohen, Head of the Foreign Trade Administration and Hanan Carmeli, Israel's Deputy Chief Scientist.

"They will meet relevant Indian authorities regarding the negotiations on the FTA between India and Israel, seeking to provide fresh momentum to the economic cooperation between both the countries," Embassy of Israel said in a statement.

During the visit, Lang will also participate in the OECD conference where he will speak about cooperation between the countries in fields such as water management, distribution of water and treatment.

Israeli water companies would share expertise on water purification and waste water treatment.

The proposed free trade pact if implemented would help in enlarging the trade basket and volume between the countries. Bilateral trade stood at USD 6 billion in 2013-14.