Netanyahu invites India Inc to invest in Israel

Mumbai, Jan 18: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday invited Indian businesses to invest in his country and said a direct flight route would help build up contact between the two sides.

"Come to Israel, Invest in Israel and Israel will come here as well," Netanyahu told top corporate honchos over a "power breakfast" at the iconic Taj hotel, overlooking the Arabian Sea. 
He said it is very crucial that business leaders from both countries meet and assured them that they would be received in Israel with warmth and tremendous respect.
The visiting premier said the future belonged to those who innovate and suggested that they contemplate setting up R&D (research and development) centres in Israel as many international players have already done.
'We in Israel are seizing the future, you in India are seizing the future. Together, you will get there a
lot quicker and also get a lot further,' he said.
The dignitaries who were present at the breakfast meet included Adi Godrej, Anand Mahindra, Ajay Piramal, Dilip Shanghvi, Rahul Bajaj, Harsh Goenka, Ashok Hinduja, Atul Punj and Chanda Kochhar.
Netanyahu interacted with the captains of Indian industry and business after engaging the power elite in New Delhi. He also addressed a business summit at the same venue.
"Innovation doesn’t happen by itself," he said. "Some of it does. But it can be nurtured, it can be encouraged. It also can be discouraged. The job of governments like that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and my own government is to facilitate your competitive advantages and ability to innovate," he said, adding that the two nations must come together to "define the future." 
Netanyahu is accompanied by a 130-member business delegation representing 102 companies, with a focus on the agriculture, defence and cyber security sectors. UNI