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Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026) confirmed that an invitation has been extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sojourn Israel, adding that preparations are underway and authoritative announcements connected dates volition beryllium made successful owed course.
“The invitation was extended. We are successful preparations, and successful owed time, determination volition beryllium declarations regarding circumstantial dates,” Mr. Azar said successful an interrogation with ANI on the sidelines of International Holocaust Remembrance Day successful New Delhi.
Speaking connected the aboriginal of India-Israel ties, Mr. Azar described the concern arsenic a strategical 1 and said 2025 has been a peculiarly productive year, marked by ministerial engagements and the signing of cardinal agreements, which see a bilateral concern treaty, information agreements, and advancement toward finalising a escaped commercialized statement and fiscal protocols, adding that practice successful counter-terrorism remains a cardinal pillar of the relationship.
“We person had an astonishing twelvemonth successful 2025; we person galore ministerial meetings and visits. We person signed respective agreements, including the bilateral concern treaty. We privation to finalise the escaped commercialized statement and to motion fiscal protocols. We person signed the information statement and volition motion different one, hopefully soon. This concern truly is strategical successful quality for some countries, and we are looking guardant to enhancing it besides successful 2026,” the Israeli Ambassador said.
Reflecting connected the value of Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked annually connected January 27, the Ambassador said the observance serves arsenic a reminder of the dangers of hatred, intolerance and radical supremacy. “The Holocaust was a systematic execution of Jewish radical driven by a unspeakable ideology. Lack of tolerance tin pb to precise unspeakable results for humanity, and we person a shared work to forestall that,” helium said.
Praising India’s civilisational ethos, Mr. Azar highlighted the country’s agelong contented of pluralism and tolerance, noting that Jewish communities successful India person historically lived without facing the persecution seen elsewhere.
“India has a civilisational contented of tolerance. Jews person enjoyed their beingness here, and we profoundly admit that. This is portion of the large relationship betwixt our 2 civilisations,” helium said.
The Israeli Ambassador to India was speaking connected the sidelines of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day lawsuit held successful the nationalist capital.
The day, marked connected January 27, is observed to retrieve the six cardinal Jews killed nether the Nazi authorities during World War II, seen arsenic an enactment of antisemitism.
According to the United Nations, this day was chosen arsenic it marks the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Death Camp connected January 27, 1945.
Earlier, addressing the International Holocaust Remembrance Day lawsuit held successful the nationalist capital, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri drew a parallel to the October 2023, Hamas panic onslaught connected Israel and said that India is “too acquainted with specified mindless brutality” and has its ain stock of acquisition arsenic a unfortunate of cross-border terrorism, successful a veiled notation to the April 2025 violent onslaught which killed 26 radical successful Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Mr. Misri said India instantly empathises with nations that look terrorism, recalling the sidesplitting of astir 1,200 Israeli nationals and the abduction of hundreds during the Hamas attack.
“India is unluckily excessively acquainted with specified mindless brutality, having been a unfortunate of cross-border coercion ourselves. We empathise instantly with those who acquisition the aforesaid tragedy,” Mr. Misri said.
He noted that India had powerfully condemned the October 7 attack and reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s connection of solidarity with Israel.
“This is wherefore we not lone condemned this horrific violent onslaught and hostage-taking, but besides our Prime Minister intelligibly stated that India stands with the radical of Israel successful the combat against terrorism,” helium added.
Reflecting connected the value of Holocaust remembrance, the Foreign Secretary said the lessons of past stay profoundly applicable today.
“The Holocaust did not statesman with the extinguishing of life. It began with words - words of hatred, words of dehumanisation, words of exclusion,” Mr. Misri said, informing against the normalisation of prejudice, favoritism and silence.
He said remembering the victims of the Holocaust is some an enactment of motivation courageousness and a solemn committedness to guarantee that specified crimes against humanity are ne'er repeated. Mr. Misri besides paid tribute to Holocaust survivors, acknowledging their resilience successful the look of unimaginable suffering.
He stressed that coercion indispensable beryllium condemned successful each its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed India’s accordant enactment for genuine efforts aimed astatine bid and stableness successful West Asia.
Mr. Misri besides welcomed advancement nether the Gaza Peace Plan, noting that the ceasefire and merchandise of hostages person brought immense relief. “We earnestly anticipation these efforts pb to lasting bid and a durable solution of conflicts successful the region,” helium said.
