New Delhi, Jan 8 : To further increase its presence and collaborations in India's North-East, the Embassy of Israel in India has appointed Joyshree Das Vermas honorary consul in the region. An official statement said she wil be based in Assam with jurisdiction over the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim. Announcing the appointment, Ambassador of Israel in India, Ron Malka said, "The relations between our two countries are growing and expanding rapidly. We are now going to take it forward and increase our presence in North-East India. I am proud to present the credentials of Israeli honorary consul to Mrs. Joyshree Das Vermas, who will work with us to further strengthen our growing partnership in this region." Joyshree Das Vermas said she was immensely honoured and humbled to represent Israel as honorary consul for the North-Eastern states. "This all-encompassing role excites me greatly as there are vast possibilities & opportunities to leverage Israel's technology and expertise in various areas. I am pledged to work in the best interests of Assam and all the North Eastern States," she said. The Embassy aims to identify all possible areas of cooperation in the North-East, where Israel can bring in expertise and advanced Israeli technologies to benefit people in the region. In November 2020, Ambassador Malka visited Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. He held official meetings with the Chief Ministers of the states, in which the sides discussed collaboration on a range of subjects including agriculture, water management, tourism, horticulture, fisheries and dairy. During the visit, the Ambassador laid the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Vegetables in Khetri, Assam. The region's first Indo-Israeli CoE was inaugurated in Mizoram in 2018. It has become a strong, sustainable platform for addressing challenges via applicable research and introduction of relevant, innovative Israeli agro-technologies, tailored to the needs of local farmers. /IANS