NEW DELHI: Gujarat’s interests remain at the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy, even if he relinquished the post of chief minister in 2014 after he led the BJP to form government at the Centre.
Prime Minister Modi, who is in Surat, said on Monday that his visit to Israel (first official announcement confirming his visit to the country) would further trade relations between the two countries. Surat is a diamond hub with 90 percent of the world’s rough diamonds being cut and polished there and Israel is amongst the biggest producer of cut diamonds.
"I am going to Israel soon. In fact, I am the first Indian Prime Minister to go to Israel and I am going there on your behalf. You have trading relations with that country," said Modi during an event in Surat. Gujarat will be going to polls later this year.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin had come to India in 2014, Prime Minister Modi had pushed for a deal with Russia – the biggest producer of diamonds in the world. The deals have an impact on around half-a-million diamond workers in Surat.
In January this year, immediately after attending the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Bengaluru, Modi flew to Gandhinagar to inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. He received the presidents of Kenya (Uhuru Kenyatta) and Rwanda (Paul Kagame) in Gandhinagar. Both the heads of State attended the event giving it a higher international stature in comparison to the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and helped to increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country.