India, Israel agree on mutual recognition of Covid vaccination certificates

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday agreed on mutual recognition of the COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

This development was announced during Jaishankar's three-day visit to Israel. The minister also thanked Israel for joining the International Solar Alliance.

The Foreign Ministers decided at a meeting to resume negotiations on FTA (Free Trade Agreements) between the two countries as early as November, with the hope that the agreement will be ready for signature by mid-2022.

This comes a day after EAM Jaishankar on Sunday held a productive meeting with members of Israeli chambers of commerce and said that there are several priority areas for collaboration, including the health sector, agriculture and green growth.

"A productive meeting with Israeli chambers of commerce and the innovation ecosystem. Appreciate their visible enthusiasm for doing more partnerships with India. Many post-Covid priorities including digital, health, agriculture and green growth are natural areas for our collaboration," EAM Jaishankar tweeted.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had informed that Hungary and Serbia agreed for mutual recognition of India's COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

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