Jerusalem | India and Israel are likely to sign a bilateral investment treaty during the upcoming visit of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich this week, while laying the groundwork for a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost trade between the two countries, according to sources.

Smotrich will be on a three-day visit to India next week between September 8 and 10, during which he will meet Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar.

Besides, the Israeli Finance Minister will also visit Mumbai and the GIFT City in Gandhinagar.

"The aim of this visit is to deepen Israel’s economic and financial ties with India through bilateral meetings and prepare common ground for some of the key agreements, including bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and free trade agreement (FTA)," sources told