Emphasising that India and Israel share a special and unique relationship, Israel’s Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Tuesday said that the bilateral partnership is rooted in six core values, including civilisational resilience, fight against terrorism, democratic norms, innovation, religious tolerance and inclusive development.
In a video message shared on X, Azar said, “The relationship between Israel and India is very special and very unique. When I came to think about it, I got to the conclusion that the reason that we have such an amazing relationship has to do with six core values.”
The first, he said, is the civilisational resilience and national revival.
“For centuries, our civilisations were attacked by foreign powers, our identity was targetted, and there was, throughout history, an effort to try to strip us of our identity. But despite the ordeal that we had to pass through for more than a millennia, we survived; our identity survived. And this is what we have in common. We are all nations in modern states that are reviving the identity, both personal and national,” he added.
Asserting that both nations confront a growing wave of extremism around the world, particularly radical Islam, Azar said that the second pillar of the cooperation between both nations is the fight against terrorism.
“We are facing a wave of extremism around the world, especially coming from radical Islam, that is threatening our country and threatening the existence of our country. And we have worked together for decades now to develop the means that we need to cope with that threat,” the Israeli envoy added.
Calling India the “greatest democracy” in the world, Azar stressed that the third element is the shared democratic values, noting that freedom of speech and freedom of entrepreneurship reflect a free spirit embedded in both systems and further strengthen the bond.
He stressed the fourth tenet of the partnership is innovation and competitiveness as achieving a higher standard of living requires not only freedom but also success in innovation and efforts to improve the world.
“And Israel and India have been a source of innovation. And together we are working in order to make a more competitive environment that will allow us to become stronger and more prosperous,” Azar noted.
Stressing religious tolerance and spiritual heritage as the fifth element of the long-standing partnership, he highlighted the shared values of acceptance and co-existence, noting that India has no history of anti-Semitism.
“We are ancient civilisations, and we have a very beautiful tradition of accepting the other. Jews have felt very comfortable in India for millennia. There was never antisemitism in this country,” Azar stated.
The Israeli envoy said that sustained but inclusive development is the final core value, adding that both countries work to ensure that people who are underprivileged, lack opportunities, or face physical or mental challenges are included in the economy.
Underlining the depth of the partnership, Azar said that Israel shares these common values only with India. “Now, it is very important to concentrate on the promotion of those values when we work together. And this requires not only more thinking, but also investment in putting content into the realisation of the values,” he concluded.
–IANS
