Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday assured visiting Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas of India’s unwavering support to the Palestinian cause. Addressing a joint press conference after the bilateral meeting, Modi said India hoped to see a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, coexisting peacefully with Israel.
Abbas, for his part, said he appreciated the solidarity that India extended. “The relationship between India and Palestine is built on the foundation of long-standing solidarity and friendship since the days of our own freedom struggle. “India has been unwavering in its support of the Palestinian cause,” Modi said.
India was the first non-Arab state to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation as a legitimate representative of Palestinian people in 1974, and acknowledge it as a separate state in 1988.
The Modi-Abbas meeting on Tuesday assumes significance as it comes a few weeks before Modi’s visit to Israel. Modi is the first head of the government to travel to the West Asian nation.
India and Palestine signed five memoranda of understanding, including one on information technology and electronics.
“India is undertaking project assistance for a flagship techno-park project in Ramallah. Once completed, it will serve as an IT hub offering a one-stop solution for all IT-related training and services in Palestine,” Modi said. Other bilateral exchanges include a thrust on more training on yoga.