The EAM is visiting Israel at the invitation of Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid

S Jaishankar, who is on a maiden five-day (October 17-21) trip to Israel as an Indian External Affairs Minister, arrived in the West Asian country on Sunday.

Soon after his arrival, he visited the Indian cemetery at Talpiot in southern Jerusalem and paid homage to brave Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during World War-I.

Tweeting about it, the EAM wrote: “Visited the Indian Cemetery at Talpiot as my first engagement in Jerusalem. Paid homage to the brave Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during World War I.”

During the visit, he will hold a bilateral meeting with the Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel. Further, he will also call on the President, the Prime Minister,and the Knesset Speaker, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

India and Israel elevated bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership during the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in July 2017.

Since then, the relationship between the two countries has focused on expanding knowledge-based partnership, which includes collaboration in innovation and research, including boosting the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The EAM will interact with the Indian-origin Jewish community in Israel, Indologists, Indian students who are currently pursuing their education in Israeli universities, and business people, including from the hi-tech industries, the MEA said.