Historic visit to Palestine will lead to stronger ties, tweets PM Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine.

RAMALLAH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hopeful for 'stronger bilateral cooperation' between India and Palestine as he landed in Ramallah on Saturday. Soon after he reached Palestine, he tweeted: "Reached Palestine. This is a historic visit that will lead to stronger bilateral cooperation." He tweeted the same in Arabic too.

Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine. He flew in a Jordanian army helicopter straight from Amman to Ramallah, where he was received by his Palestinian counterpart Rami Hamdallah.

Reached Palestine. This is a historic visit that will lead to stronger bilateral cooperation. pic.twitter.com/PpzN1JaBYO — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 10, 2018

During his visit, Modi will hold talks with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas following which a number of agreements are going to be signed. This will be the fourth meeting between Modi and Abbas after those on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in 2015, at the Paris climate summit later that year and at the Palestinian President's visit to India last year.

After his arrival, he also laid a wreath at the mausoleum of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat there. The mausoleum was unveiled on November 10, 2007 and is located adjacent to the Palestinian Presidential compound, also known as Muqata'a.

#WATCH Earlier visuals from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's journey to Palestine's Ramallah via a chopper, which was escorted by Royal Jordanian choppers by the King and Israeli choppers pic.twitter.com/ginxPzBTnV — ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2018

After paying homage to Arafat, the Modi took a short tour accompanied by Hamdallah of the Arafat Museum located adjacent to the mausoleum. 

Palestine is the first leg of Modi's three-nation tour of West Asia that will also see him going to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

His visit to Palestine is likely to reaffirm India's foreign policy position that its relationship with one country is independent of its ties with a third country.