India, Israel Start FTA Talks; Goyal Meets Delegation

• India and Israel began the first round of FTA negotiations to boost trade and economic ties
• Talks cover goods, services, customs, and key sectors like innovation and technology
• Bilateral trade stood at $3.62 billion in FY 2024-25, with the FTA expected to further strengthen business opportunities

Recently, Union Minister Piyush Goyal met an Israeli delegation to begin the first India-Israel Free Trade Agreement negotiation session. Goyal explained that these negotiations serve as essential progress toward establishing better trade relationships and economic partnerships, which will generate additional business opportunities for both countries.

India Israel FTA negotiations are progressing with Piyush Goyal leading the discussions on the free trade agreement India Israel, aiming to strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The ongoing India Israel trade talks are expected to lead to a free trade pact India Israel by 2026, enhancing India Israel trade relations and fostering a robust business partnership between the two nations.

He stated, “Met a delegation from Israel today, visiting India for the first round of India-Israel Free Trade Agreement negotiations (23rd-26th February 2026). The FTA negotiations mark an important step towards enhancing India-Israel bilateral trade & economic cooperation, aimed at creating greater opportunities for businesses and people on both sides”.

The FTA discussions started in New Delhi recently and will continue until February 26. The two countries will conduct this round of negotiations through technical experts, who will work on trade in goods and services, customs procedures, intellectual property rights, sanitary measures, and trade facilitation, among other important topics.

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The Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal stated that negotiations with Israel began during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit which took place in February 2026.

He identified multiple sectors, which included innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity technologies, high-tech manufacturing and agricultural fields as areas where the FTA would enable both nations to achieve their full potential.

The Chief Negotiator of India, Ajay Bhadoo, and the Chief Negotiator of Israel, Yifat Alon Perel, both stated their belief that the FTA would create stronger supply chains, which would enable both nations to better work together and access new business opportunities.

Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel will further strengthen these ties because both nations will discuss ways to develop their India-Israel Strategic Partnership.

The FTA is expected to deliver stability and reliability, which will benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India and Israel because their trade volume reached $3.62 billion during the fiscal year 2024-25.