Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who skipped India on a visit to Bangladesh and Pakistan will visit New Delhi later this year, the Ministry of External Affairs said this week.
MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup highlighted India’s commitment to the Palestinian cause and said President Abbas had accepted the country’s invitation.
“Our ties with Palestine are very robust and wide-ranging and our commitment to the Palestinian cause is well known. President Abbas has accepted our invitation to visit India and the visit will take place sometime this year,” said Mr. Swarup. The MEA’s comment is significant as it came even as President Abbas visited Islamabad and Dhaka during a week which marks the 25th anniversary of normalisation of diplomatic ties between India and Israel.
There has been speculation about whether PM Narendra Modi would visit Palestine or have a stand alone visit to Israel.
