India-Israel FTA could take shape by February 2027, says envoy

India and Israel are expected to hold two more rounds of negotiations on their proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with a clearer picture of the pact likely to emerge by February 2027, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar has said.

Azar said the next round of discussions was expected in October, followed by what could be the final round in February. The two countries held their second round of negotiations in July after agreeing on the terms of reference towards the end of 2025.

“We expect to have two more rounds, one in October and probably the last one by February, and I think that by then we will know exactly where we stand,” he told IANS.

The negotiations have so far focused largely on conventional market-access issues, while also covering reciprocal buyback arrangements and wider areas of economic cooperation, according to the envoy.

Azar acknowledged that bridging differences over market access could prove challenging, given that Israel has already reduced many of its tariffs and the two economies vary considerably in scale.

However, he identified high-technology collaboration as one of the most promising areas for strengthening bilateral economic ties. Closer cooperation on innovation, he said, could enable Israeli companies to operate more freely and expand their presence in the Indian market.

“The greatest potential, I think, lies in high-tech cooperation,” Azar said.

The proposed trade agreement forms part of wider efforts by India and Israel to deepen their economic, investment and technology partnership.

In May, Azar had identified civilisational resilience, counter-terrorism, democratic values, innovation and competitiveness, religious tolerance and inclusive development as six values underpinning the bilateral relationship. He had also called for these shared principles to be translated into stronger cooperation and investment.

With IANS inputs