Special to WorldTribune.com

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will look to boost his country’s military might when he becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel.

India has emerged as Israel’s largest customer for military exports. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj announced the visit on May 31. A date has not yet been set.

“Given India’s growing military concerns under Modi, whose government has increased the military budget by 12.5 percent this year, it is not surprising that he would want to strengthen ties with one of India’s largest military suppliers, Israel,” Pratinav Anil, a scholar on Europe and Asia, told Anadolu Agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Modi describes as “my friend,” was the only leader the Indian PM met with on the sidelines at the UN General Assembly last September. Netanyahu said “the sky is the limit” for India-Israel relations.

“Since the beginning of ties between the two countries (in 1992), the countries engage in trade worth over $3.5 billion today,” Anil said, adding that before 1992 trade stood at just $200 million.

“The visit would bring relations between India and Israel out in the open, after years of keeping it quiet because of New Delhi’s support to the Palestinian cause,” wrote Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, the editor of Indian news blog Scroll.in.

“The most likely outcome would be further development of economic ties and a more open acknowledgment of how much the two countries work together on defense equipment.”

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