M J Akbar to visit Palestine next month

Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar will pay a two-day visit to Palestine next month during which both sides are expected to explore ways to further deepen ties besides reviewing the situation in West Asia. Akbar will Co-Chair the first Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Palestine on November 8 and 9 in which a number of specific issues to expand cooperation in range of areas will be discussed. The Palestinian side will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister of State Riad al-Maliki. In order to give further impetus to bilateral relationship, it was agreed to establish this JCM during the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Palestine in January. "The proposed JCM would cover a range of issues that include cooperation in Economy, Energy, Tourism, Agriculture, Water and Environment, Education, Health, IT, Sports, Culture, Media etc," the External Affairs Ministry said. India has been a long-standing supporter of Palestine cause. During her visit to Ramallah, Swaraj had said the entire Indian leadership remains steadfastly committed to the Palestinian cause. Then Palestine had sought India's participation in the West Asia peace process to help defuse crisis in the region. In October last year, President Pranab Mukherjee had paid a historic trip to Israel and Palestine. Akbar will also visit Jordanian capital Amman November 10 for bilateral talks with his counterpart and other dignitaries.