New Delhi: Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, V. Muraleedharan is likely to meet the Syrian leadership in Damascus during his two-day official visit which is set to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

The minister's visit spans two days, from July 12-13 during which the MoS is likely to hold wide-ranging discussions with the top leadership in Syria.

This will be the first Ministerial-level visit from India to Syria since August 2016, and the first visit of Shri V. Muraleedharan to the country, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.

During the visit, the MoS will also interact with a group of Syrian students who have studied or are proceeding to study in India under Govt of India’s scholarship scheme. He is also expected to meet the functionaries of the Syrian Orthodox Church.

Syria and India have historically had cordial relations built on deep-rooted people-to-people ties. The Indian Embassy in Syria has remained open throughout the Syrian conflict. Many people visit India as tourists, businesspeople, and patients. This visit is expected to lend further momentum to the strong relationship between the two countries.

India has contributed immensely to the capacity building of the Syrian youth over the years through scholarship schemes and training courses under the flagship ITEC programme, the official release read.