Modi a revolutionary leader : Israeli PM Netanyahu

Speaking at a joint press conference, featuring the two leaders, Netanyahu said : "India and Israel have thousands of years of history. You are a revolutionary leader Narendra Modi, you have revolutionised India."

Modi, who has taken a detour in the country's foreign policy by going hunky-dory with Israel without offending the Arab world, welcomed the guest with open arms : " "My good friend, Bibi welcome to India, your visit marks a special beginning to our New Year calendar."

The Isareli PM, who is here on a six-day visit, said three things bind our countries - "we have an ancient past, vibrant present and a quest to seize a promising future."

Heaping praises on India for its culture and tolerance, Netanyahu said Jews in India have never faced anti-semitism in 2000 years.  "This is a tribute to India's great civilisation, tolerance and democracy."

Netanyahu, who was lavish in showering  encomiums on his Indian couterpart, also said :  "You being such a gracious and generous host fills me with hope that this new era of India-Israel relations will bring unprecedented benefits to both nations and all of humanity. Finally, this is perhaps the most important statement I can make here, my friend Narendra, anytime you want to do a Yoga class with me, it's a big stretch but I will be there. Trust me. Thank you very much for your hospitality,"

Referring to the menace of terrorism, the visiting dignitary said  India and Israel both know too well the pain of terrorist attacks. "We remember the horrific savagery in Mumbai (26/11 attacks), we will never give in and will fight back."

In his speech, Modi said  both the countries will strengthen existing pillars of cooperation in areas concerning the people's interests. "These are agriculture, science and technology and security.We exchanged views on scaling up the Centers of Excellence that have been a main-stay of agricultural cooperation," he said.

"Today and yesterday we reviewed progress in our relations and renewed our relations on the opportunities that beckon us. We have imparted our shared impatience to the implementation of our earlier decisions. The results are already visible on the ground. Our discussions today were marked by convergence to accelerate our engagement and to scale up our partnership," Modi said.

On Monday, India and Israel signed  MOU on cooperation in oil and gas sector, a protocol on amendments to air transport agreement, agreement on film co-production, field research in homoeopathic medicine, cooperation in the field of space, letter of intent to invest in India, cooperation in metal battery and cooperation in solar thermal energy.