The External Affairs Ministry announced on Tuesday that Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister will visit Palestine and Israel from 17-18 January , to review bilateral relations with both sides.
Sushma Swaraj will be accompanied by other officials of the External Affairs Ministry.
External Affairs MinistryThis is the first visit of the external affairs minister to West Asia region, and Palestine is the first destination in the region. India traditionally shares close relations with Palestine, contributing actively through capacity building and human resource development initiatives with Palestine. The visit will also reaffirm India’s continued political, diplomatic and developmental support to Palestine. The visit will further deepen the mutual understanding at the political level and boost bilateral engagement with Palestine.
In a separate statement, the ministry said Swaraj and her delegation will pay an official visit to Israel from 17 to 18 January.
According to the statement, Sushma Swaraj would hold discussions with the Israeli leadership and “review the entire gamut of India-Israel bilateral relations”.
External Affairs MinistryIndia and Israel share a firm belief in the values of democracy and free market economy.India’s relations with Israel are part of its engagement with the broader West Asia region and are independent to its relations with any country in the region
According to the statement, India and Israel also share close relations in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and education.
During the visit, the external affairs minister will interact with the Indian community in Israel, and augment India’s bilateral relations with Israel to further strengthen the linkages between the two sides.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)