Israel says India to restart talks on missile sales
India is to restart talks with Israel over a cancelled deal to buy anti-tank missiles, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 17 January.
New Delhi had suspended the $500 million deal to buy the Spike anti-tank missiles from Israel’s state-owned defence contractor Rafael after apparently deciding to manufacture the equipment at home.
But Netanyahu, in India on the first visit by an Israeli premier in 15 years, said his Indian counterpart had agreed to review the 2014 agreement.
‘Following the talks I had with...Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian government has informed us that it is putting the Spike deal back on track,’ Netanyahu said in a statement.
‘This is very important and there will be many more deals.’
India’s military chief Bipin Rawat said last week the deal was scrapped after the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) offered to manufacture similar missiles in line with premier Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
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