New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) A number of agreements spanning various sectors, including agriculture and education, are likely to be signed during Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's official visit to India next week, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon said here on Thursday.
Rivlin will be visiting India from November 14 to 21 and will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15.
"We are, together with our Indian colleagues, contemplating the final stages of preparation of agreements on water, energy, agriculture, R&D, and education," Carmon said at a media briefing here.
"Not everything is finalised yet, but most of it is," he said.
Carmon said that there will be a "unique academic event" during which chancellors of universities of both India and Israel would meet and sign 15 or more agreements.
"When I talk about universities in Israel, I talk about the top leading universities in Israel which are world renowned, like Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Technion University, Bersheeva University," he stated.
The Ambassador also flagged cooperation in defence production as another important area of the bilateral relationship.
"India and Israel enjoy a very special and unique relationship in the field of defence," he said.
Stating that it was an industrial type of cooperation, he said that it involved research and development between the two sides.
"It is beyond the buyer and seller prospects, military-to-military and beyond that," he said, adding that it was a "special and deep" relationship.
Apart from New Delhi, President Rivlin, accompanied by a large business delegation, will also visit Agra, Karnal in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Mumbai.
In Agra, besides visiting the Taj Mahal, he will take a look at an adjacent Israeli water treatment plant called "Aqwise".
In Karnal, Rivlin will visit the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture set up with Israeli assistance.
In Chandigarh, he along with President Pranab Mukherjee will jointly inaugurate Agro Tech 2016 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Rivlin will visit Mumbai on the last day of his India tour on his way back to Israel. He will attend a commemorative function in memory of the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks.
He will also meet members of the Jewish community.
This will be the first Israeli Presidential visit to India in nearly 20 years since Ezer Weizman came in January 1997.
