President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas will be on a 4 day State visit to India from today. This is the fifth visit and the third State Visit of Mr Abbas to India. Earlier he had substantive meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2015.
During the visit, President Abbas will visit C-DAC in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine – India Techno Park being built by India in Palestine and Indian IT industry.
He will also visit India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi. On Tuesday, President Abbas will be given a ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan followed by wreath laying by him at Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi, Raj Ghat.
President Pranab Mukherjee will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. Delegation-level discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held the same day.
Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on President Abbas during his stay in Delhi.
AIR correspondent reports 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 visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, Middle East Peace Process, regional and international issues. MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit.