New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): Palestinian Ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh lauded India by saying that it is a key player when it comes to political issues.

Shawesh, in a conversation with ANI, said that India has the potential to change the global arena with its power.

'When we talk about India, we talk about the largest democratic country worldwide. When we talk about India, we talk about 1.4 billion human beings. When we talk about India as someone who has served in the United Nations for eight years, India, when India decides in the United Nations, India can change the international arena in general. When it came to the political issues, India is a key player. We look to India to utilise its very heavy, very respected, well-known political power,' he said.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to support Palestine by contributing USD 5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

'Those two resolutions, those two outcomes were adopted under the Chairmanship of His Excellency Narendra Modi and his government. Of course, India is paying each year USD 5 million to honour UNRWA, which is the United Nations' entity that deals with the Palestinian refugee question. In the macro level, India used to be still, and we will trust that India is continuing to be in support of the Palestinian people,' he said.

Shawesh said that the relations between Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Modi are great and hoped that they would continue to be so.

'President Abbas sent to His Excellency the Prime Minister Narenda Modi a letter, an official letter, personal letter asking him to help in more than one issue. And we are pretty sure that the relation even between President Abbas and the Prime Minister Narenda Modi is a very good relation,' he said.

Shawesh said that Indian-Palestinian relations are rooted in history as both declared Independence at a similar time.

'It's the Indian-Palestinian historical relation because our relation with India is deeply rooted in history I mean, it was started, some references talking about it was this relation was started mid 1930s when the Palestinian people was launched their first revolution in 1936 to 1939 and India at that time had its own revolution of course. So that there is a strong relation at that time. seems that there is a lot of references talking that India was supporting the Palestinian revolution,' he said.

Shawesh recounted that India was the first non-Arab and non-Muslim country to recognise Palestine.

'Then India, in a key move under the Chairmanship of Mahatma Gandhi, voted against the partition plan of Palestine in 1947, which is something we highly appreciate. India recognised PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), in late 1974 as the first non-Arab and non-Muslim country, as a sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,' he said. (ANI)