Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reiterated continued support for the people of Palestine and welcomed ongoing peace efforts, including the Gaza peace plan during a meeting with the delegation of foreign ministers from Arab countries, along with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and heads of Arab delegations.The delegation is in India to participate in the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held on Saturday.During the meeting, Modi outlined a vision for the India-Arab partnership by reaffirming India’s support commitment to further deepen cooperation across key sectors, including trade and investment, energy, technology, healthcare and other priority areas, for the mutual benefit of the people of both regions.Later in the evening, at a meeting with the visiting delegation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mentioned how ‘zero tolerance’ for terrorism needs to be an uncompromising universal norm.In his opening remarks at the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Jaishankar said terrorism in all its forms and manifestations was a common threat for India and the Arab nations.Hinting at Pakistan, he said cross-border terrorism was particularly unacceptable because it violates the basic principles of international relations and diplomacy. Besides, societies targeted by terrorism have the right to defend themselves and will understandably exercise it, he added, explaining India’s response.The EAM also highlighted that India had strong partnerships with all members of the League of Arab States, much of which is rooted in history. He said they are meeting at an important juncture, where the global order was undergoing transformation for a variety of reasons, and politics, economics, technology and demography were all fully into play.The External Affairs Minister pointed out that multiple developments had taken place in West Asia over the last few years and many of them had reverberated well beyond the region.“The situation in Gaza, in particular, has been the focus for the international community. Taking forward the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict is a widely shared priority today,” he said.Jaishankar said the situation in Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Libya also merit collective attention. He said the direction of events in Syria was also critical for the well-being of the region. “We’ll also be contemplating working together on counter-terrorism and parliamentary exchanges,” he said.The two sides launched the India-Arab Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture on Friday. Jaishankar said that as India equipped itself in the technology sphere, it was ready to share its experiences.Palestinian minister calls on ModiThe Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of State of Palestine, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, called on PM Modi on Saturday. India has been a long-standing development partner for Palestine. It has so far given development assistance worth $170 million to palestine. Of these, projects worth $40 million are presently under implementation, sources said.
