Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal and political woes have not chased away foreign comrades, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the prime minister on Tuesday as “my dear friend.”
“My dear friend Bibi,” Modi wrote in a tweet. “Thank you for your message on India’s #ConstitutionDay. Israel is a cherished strategic partner. We share and value the same principles of democracy.”
Modi, who also posted that tweet in Hebrew, was responding to a congratulatory message tweeted by Netanyahu on the occasion of India’s 70th Constitution Day.
Netanyahu used the same salutation – “my dear friend” – in reference to Modi in his tweet, saying that “India and Israel share the values enshrined in your constitution: democracy, rule of law, liberty, and equality. Our countries are both vibrant democracies, proud of our achievements, eager to seize the future with innovation and imagination. Happy Constitution Day, India!”
Modi and Netanyahu have forged a close relationship, and the ties between the two countries has soared over the last number of years.
Constitution Day was instituted by Modi in 2015 to commemorate the adoption of the constitution on November 26, 1949.
Congratulatory messages were also sent by President Reuven Rivlin, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.