Mumbai, Jan 18 (PTI) Stating that the partnership betweenIsrael and India is doing wonders, Israel Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu today asked business leaders to focus oninnovation.
"The future belongs to those who innovate," Netanyahusaid in his opening remarks at a power breakfast with topcorporate honchos at the iconic Taj hotel overlooking theArabia Sea.
"It is very, very crucial today for you and your Israelicounterparts to meet up, because the future belongs to thosewho innovate," Netanyahu said at the first of his numerousassignments for the day as he wraps up his four-day Indiavisit.
"We in Israel are seizing the future, you in India areseizing the future. Together, you will get there a lot quickerand also get a lot further," he said.
"Innovation doesn't happen by itself. Some of it does.
But it can be nurtured, it can encouraged. It also can bediscouraged. The job of governments like that of PrimeMinister Modi and my own government is to facilitate yourcompetitive advantages and ability to innovate," he said.
The partnership between Israel and India is doingwonders, the Israel prime minister said.
"It is on the level first of a deep personal friendshipbetween Prime Minister Modi and myself," he said.
"In addition, there is a partnership of genuine sympathybetween our people. And that is not obvious. Our twocivilisations are very old and we have not met each other inreal sense.
"There is an instant chemical reaction of tremendoussolidarity and identification and I see it in my Facebookfollowers. They haven't changed the algorithm yet and I see itvery very strongly. We see it when we walk the streets, theresponses that we get here. And Indian citizens, when theycome to Israel, they can see it. It is powerful," he said.
"So it is leaders. It is people. But I think the mostimportant thing is to have it among business leaders andtechnological leaders and entrepreneurs like yourself. This isthe cherry on the pie! What a cherry! I thought we willdiscuss the cherry," Netanyahu said.
Business leaders who were present at the breakfastincluded Ajay Piramal, Rahul Bajaj, Adi Godrej, Harsh Goenka,Anand Mahindra, Dilip Shanghvi, Ashok Hinduja, Atul Punj andChanda Kochhar. PTI AA VTMR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.