Modi holds talks with Palestinian Prez Mahmoud Abbas; discusses COVID-19 pandemic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a telephonic conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his telephonic conversation with Abbas, the prime minister appreciated the efforts being made by the Palestinian authorities to protect their population from the virus, and assured all possible support from India for these efforts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed greetings to the President and the people of Palestine, for the forthcoming holy month of Ramzan, it said.

"The two leaders discussed the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and apprised each other of the steps being taken in their respective countries to control the situation," the statement said.

Modi and Abbas agreed to remain in touch at appropriate levels to explore avenues of cooperation at this challenging time.

In the last few days, the prime minister has held telephonic conversations with US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Vietnamese premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, focusing on the need for concerted global efforts to deal with the crisis.

Modi has also spoken to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik and Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven among others.