President Pranab Mukherjee said that India remains firmly committed to assist the Palestinian people in achieving their developmental goals.

In his banquet speech yesterday, which was hosted in the honour of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Mr Mukherjee said, India attaches great importance to its bilateral relations with Palestine which have gained momentum and expanded in recent years.

He expressed hope that visit of Mahmoud Abbas will take the two countries cooperation further and diversify their relations for the benefit of the people.

Mr Mukherjee said, it is a matter of satisfaction that both the country have agreed to intensify its mutual co-operation in the fields of security, information and communications technology, agriculture, education, culture, healthcare and sports.

Mr Mukherjee said, unfortunately the scourge of terrorism is one of the biggest threats faced by the international community. He said, India believes that there can be no justification, whatsoever for terrorism.