On his arrival at Palestine’s Ramallah during his three-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ by President Mahmoud Abbas, recognising his key contribution to promoting relations between India and Palestine. President Abbas conferred the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine on Modi after the conclusion of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine.

The Grand Collar is Highest order given to foreign dignitaries – Kings, Heads of State/Government and persons of similar rank. It has in the past been awarded to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Hamad of Bahrain, President Xi Jinping of China, amongst others. The commendation reads “In recognition of his wise leadership and his lofty national and international stature, and in appreciation of his efforts to promote the historic relations between the State of Palestine and the Republic of India; in acknowledgment of his support to our people’s right to independence and freedom so that peace prevails in the region.”

PM Modi arrived in Ramallah on a historic visit to reaffirm India’s support for the Palestinian people. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine, flew in a Jordanian army helicopter straight from Amman to Ramallah, where he was received by his Palestinian counterpart Rami Hamdallah. Prime Minister Modi’s chopper was escorted by choppers from Israel Air Force. “This is a historic visit that will lead to stronger bilateral cooperation,” Modi said shortly after landing. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Hamdallah, visited the Mausoleum of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and laid a wreath at the grave of the iconic Palestinian leader.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his tour to Palestine, Oman and UAE. Before embarking on the tour, the Prime Minister had said it would be his fifth visit to the Gulf and the West Asian region since 2015. In a Facebook post, PM Modi said he was looking forward to strengthening India’s “growing and important ties” with West Asia and the Gulf region. Noting that there are over 9 million Indians workers in the Gulf region, Modi said the Indian diaspora is a bridge of friendship between India and the Gulf states. He said that one-third of 9 million Indians live in the UAE alone and in Oman, Indian diaspora constitutes the largest expatriate community. During the visit, PM Modi will address the 6th edition of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Modi will also have dialogues with leading UAE and Arab CEOs in Dubai.