Ahead of Mahmoud Abbas's visit, India reiterates 'political support' to Palestinian cause

India on Saturday reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause ahead of the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to New Delhi.

Abbas, who arrives today, will be on his third state visit to India after 2008 and 2012. According to reports, the Palestinian President will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khaldi, Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Aburdeineh and Palestine's Chief Judge Mahmoud Habbash.

Abbas will call on Mukherjee and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on him.

OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW BILATERAL RELATIONS

According to the external affairs ministry, the visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues. Several MoUs on



cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit.

The external affairs ministry on Saturday in a statement said, "Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance."

INDIA-ISRAEL  PROXIMITY

The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi's relations with Palestine. In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.

During his visit to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida on May 15 to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park being built by India in Palestine and Indian IT industry. He will also deliver an address at the Islamic Cultural Centre here.