The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee saidIndia and Israel are separated by two seas but joined by their common belief in the power of diversity and democracy. He wasaddressing the members of Knesset today (October 14, 2015) in Jerusalem, Israel.

The President said the Indian people have, nonetheless, always appreciated Israeli innovations in the field of agriculture, the kibbutzsystem and the remarkable achievements of their scientists and engineers. We admire the will and resolve with which the Jewish people have risen from the depths of unspeakable suffering and deprivation with a strong spirit and built their nation to make it what it is today - a thriving, progressive and prosperous society that leads the world in so many fields. India remembers the help that the Israeli Government provided in rushing critical defence supplies to India when it required them most urgently in 1999. India also appreciates the support that it has received from Israel for its rightful claim to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

The President said India has been a strong voice of developing countries in the UN and other multilateral organizations. We see that the administrative architecture of international bodies is not effective enough in enforcing their decisions. The United Nations was established at the end of the Second World War. Today its organizations need to be more responsive to the challenges that the world faces – and its structure as well as administrative and financial architecture need reform to make them more reflective of the changed world.

The President saidto stimulate India’s domestic manufacturing sector, Government of India has launched "Make in India” campaign. Israeli innovation and technology can combine with Indian engineering and scale to manufacture in India. Such a partnership, particularly in the defence sector, has the potential of creating new markets and generating more jobs - both in India and Israel.

The President invited members of Knesset to visit India to further engage with their parliamentary counterparts and contribute to the enrichment of the bilateral discourse.

This release issued at 1830 hrs.