Dr Michael Oren wears several hats: he is a diplomat, a historian and a politician. Currently, he is the deputy minister for diplomacy in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Dr. Oren is also Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s “special envoy” tasked with strengthening Israel’s bilateral ties with countries like India. He was recently in Delhi to hold talks with key members in the Narendra Modi government. He took time from his hectic programme to talk to Pranay Sharma on the current situation in a volatile West Asia, of Russia’s growing role in the region and on Indo-Israeli ties that have reached a new high after PM Modi’s visit to the country. Excerpts from the interview: