Article Posted on : - Mar 19, 2014

NEW DELHI (PTI): Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh is expected to discuss ongoing defence projects between India and Israel and ways of further strengthening military ties during his ongoing four-day visit to that country.

The issue of delays in the completion of the medium-range surface-to-air missile systems is expected to come up for discussion during the talks between the two sides, Army officials said here.

Israel is one of the major suppliers of weapon systems to the Indian armed forces including critical equipment such as assault rifles for the Special Forces.

Gen Singh's Israeli counterpart Maj Gen Guy Zur had visited India last year and discussed the security situation in and around the region with the top military and political leadership.

Israel has been building strong military-to-military relations with India in recent years and has emerged as the second largest defence supplier to India behind only Russia in the last decade-and-a-half.

Gen Bikram Singh's predecessor Gen V K Singh was supposed to visit Israel in 2012 but the visit was cancelled in view of the situation in West Asia at that time.