India president’s visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee will become the first Indian head of state to visit Jordan, Palestine and Israel (10 to 15 October). The visit is a testimony to the increasingly important role the region has come to play for India. All three countries host Indian communities of varying sizes.

President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Jordan first. This year marks the 65th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The last high level visit to Jordan from India had been that of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, while King Abdullah and Queen Rania had visited India in 2006. President Mukherjee will hold a meeting with King Abdullah on bilateral affairs, and will also meet the Jordanian Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Foreign Affairs.  He will be delivering a public lecture at the University of Jordan where he will receive an honorary doctorate.

India is Jordan’s fourth largest trading partner and bilateral trade stands at 2 billion dollars. Efforts are on to increase this to 5 billion dollars by year 2025.In an interview to the Jordan Times; President Mukherjee said “We attach great importance to our friendship with Jordan”. He said that India is concerned about the spill over effects of instability in the West Asia Region, resulting in increased terrorist activities across the world. The President said that the reality of global expansion of terrorism, including in Syria and Iraq and globalization of the supply chain of terrorism is a matter of great concern to India. He said that India has faced terrorism for almost four decades, largely sponsored from across the border. He also said that India is convinced that terrorism can be rolled back only through comprehensive, coordinated international cooperation combined with a strengthened, enforceable international legal regime. India has sought to challenge and reject the terrorist narrative that global counter-terrorism efforts are directed against any particular religion or ethnic group. The President said that India and Jordan share similar views and perceptions on regional and international issues. Jordan hosts a large number of Syrian refugees, and the Indian government has extended cash assistance of 500,000 dollars to the Jordanian Government to cope with this. This visit would provide an opportunity to review, revive and reinvigorate New Delhi’s longstanding relations with Jordan.

The President will travel to Palestine on 12-13 October. In Ramallah, he will hold meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, and leaders of major political parties. He will also pay a visit to the mausoleum of the late Yasser Arafat, and deliver a lecture at the Al Quds University. India has been an unwavering supporter of Palestinian aspirations and the two-state solution, where a sovereign, viable State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, will live side by side at peace with Israel. Over the years India has extended major development aid to the Palestinians, as well as political and diplomatic support. More recently in New York, on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Mahmoud Abbas. The first foreign office consultations between India and the Palestinians also took place earlier this year in Ramallah.  President Mukherjee’s visit will further strengthen bilateral bonds.

On the final leg of his visit President Mukherjee will visit Israel from 13-15 October. The visit will be a culmination of a relationship that both India and Israel have nurtured for awhile. India and Israel are both parliamentary democracies, and ‘have left an indelible mark on human civilization in history as democratic countries since their inception.’ The first ever state visit from Israel was of then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to India in 2003, when the Delhi Statement of Friendship and Cooperation between the two sides was signed. Both countries attach great importance to strengthening their long-term cooperation in diverse fields, but mainly in defence, science and technology.

The President’s visit comes at time when the region is wracked by armed conflicts and trans-national terrorism. Jordan, Palestine and Israel share common concerns of terrorism with India. India already has a mechanism for counter-terrorism cooperation with Israel in place.
It has also asked the Jordanian and Palestinian authorities to help with the release of the 39 Indians abducted by the ISIS. The visit reiterates the importance that India attaches to ties with both the Arab world and Israel.

The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arab Today.