Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas hosted by President Mukherjee, Prime Minister Modi at Rashtrapati Bhawan

President Abbas arrived in the national capital Sunday on his four-day visit to hold extensive talks with PM Narendra Modi on key bilateral issues, including the Middle East peace process. This is Abbas’s fifth visit and third state visit as to India. The visit comes ahead of Modi’s first-ever visit to Israel scheduled in July this year.

Earlier on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a press release that India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance, the release added.

“Welcoming an important guest. Mr Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine arrives in Delhi,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted on Sunday as President Abbas arrived.

Before President Abbas’s visit, Dr Majdi Khaldi, a senior Palestinian official, had described India’s relations with Palestine as “historic” and “steady” and asserted that the Palestinians want to strengthen their ties with India and seek support for their “struggle”.

The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire range of bilateral relations, including Middle Eastern peace. Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit.

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