Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on Wednesday discussed ways to strengthen “close and important” relations between their countries and expressed their mutual desire to deepen cooperation in the fields of hi-tech, economy and security.

This was the second phone call between the two leaders since Netanyahu returned to power in December last year.

The phone call lasted for about 20 minutes, the Israeli PMO said.

“The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen the close and important relations between Israel and India,” a statement from the PMO said.

“The two leaders expressed a mutual desire to deepen the cooperation between the countries in the fields of high-tech, economy and security,” it added.

In his call on January 11, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Netanyahu on being sworn in as the Prime Minister and emphasised the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries.

Netanyahu, 73, was sworn-in as Israel’s prime minister for a sixth time on December 29, last year, leading the Jewish state’s most right-wing government to date. He is already Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

During the previous phone call, Modi invited Netanyahu to visit India at a mutually convenient date.

The ties between India and Israel have been on an upswing in the last few years in a range of sectors, including defence, agriculture and water.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)