Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday embarked on a four-day visit to Palestine, Oman and the UAE with the focus on strengthening energy and security cooperation along with counter-terrorism efforts, officials said.

This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine and Modi’s second visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after August 2015. It comes after the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India.

As per the schedule, after transiting through Jordan where he will be meeting King Abdullah II in Amman on February 9, Modi’s visit will begin from Palestine on February 10.

He will visit Ramallah on Saturday and hold talks with the Palestinian leadership following a number of agreements will be signed.

This will be the fourth meeting between Modi and Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas and comes after the latter’s visit to India last year.

India had voted in the UN General Assembly in December last year against US President Donald Trump’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The visit will also de-hyphenate Israel and Palestine after Modi’s standalone visit to Israel in July last year.

Modi will reach Abu Dhabi in the UAE, which is home to a huge Indian diaspora, on February 10 evening.

Modi will hold talks with the Crown Prince following which several agreements will be signed. On February 11, he will meet members of the Indian community and lay the foundation stone of a temple via video link.

From Abu Dhabi, Modi will proceed to Dubai where he will deliver the keynote address at the Sixth World Government Summit.

India-UAE ties were elevated to that of a Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership during Modi’s visit in 2015.

The UAE is also the first partner of India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and invested $1 billion as the anchor investor.

From Dubai, Modi will reach Muscat on February 11 in what will be the first prime ministerial to that Gulf nation in 10 years since the visit of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008.

Modi will hold talks with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said and also meet a group of Omani CEOs.

Mridul Kumar said that Oman is a country of strategic importance for India and defence forces of the two country have held joint exercises.