Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C-L) greets his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi (C-R) during an official ceremoney at Ben-Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv on July 4, 2017. (AFP Photo)
JERUSALEM, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Israel Tuesday for the first-ever visit of an Indian prime minister in the Jewish state, in a sign of warming ties between the two nations.
His three-day visit marks 25 years of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He was accepted with an official welcome ceremony at the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv, with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet ministers.
Netanyahu will accompany Modi for most of his trip, which includes a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, and working meetings with President Reuven Rivlin and opposition leader Isaac Herzog.
His itinerary includes also meetings with industry leaders in the fields of water, agriculture, and hi-tech, as well as with people from the Indian community and Moshe Holtzberg, whose parents were killed in the 2008 attack on the Mumbai Jewish center of Chabad House.
On Wednesday, Modi and Netanyahu are expected to sign seven cooperation agreements in the areas of water, energy, and research and development.
In a tweet on his Twitter account ahead of his departure, Modi described Delhi's ties with Israel as "special," saying terrorism and trade will be on the table during talks with Netanyahu.
In an interview with the Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom, Modi said that his visit is "based on the deep centuries-old connection between our two peoples."
"This is the first time for an Indian prime minister to visit Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation," Modi said.
The visit comes 25 years after the two countries established full diplomatic ties and 14 years after the late Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, arrived in New Delhi.
