By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India (AA): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in India on Sunday for a six-day visit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at the airport. The two leaders were seen hugging each other in footage and pictures released of the meeting.

Modi tweeted in English and Hebrew: “Welcome to India, my friend PM @netanyahu! Your visit to India is historic and special. It will further cement the close friendship between our nations.”

Netanyahu is the second Israeli prime minister to visit India after former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit in 2003.

Modi and Netanyahu later attended a ceremony to rename Teen Murti Chowk (Three Statue Square) in capital New Delhi.

“Teen Murti Chowk is now Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk in memory of the supreme sacrifice by the Indian soldiers to liberate Haifa in Israel in 1918,” said Raveesh Kumar, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement.

The two leaders are expected to hold bilateral talks on Monday.

Netanyahu is also expected to meet Jewish community leaders and businesspeople in Mumbai, according to Israeli daily Haaretz.

The Israeli Embassy said in a statement that Netanyahu would also reach out to Bollywood, the multi-million-dollar Indian movie industry, in an exclusive event.

[Photo: Earlier visit by PM Modi to Israel where he met President Reuven Rivlin  on July 5, 2017. Photo Credit: Mark Neyman / GPO.Wikimedia]