Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi embrace on the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, Jan. 14, 2018. Photo: Netanyahu’s Facebook account.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warmly greeted upon his arrival in India on Sunday for a week-long state visit.

In a sign of respect for the Israeli leader, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally welcomed Netanyahu on the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Modi tweeted: “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. @IsraeliPM #ShalomNamaste.”

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. @IsraeliPM #ShalomNamaste pic.twitter.com/sidgMmA1fu

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 14, 2018

Netanyahu tweeted: “I am so happy to meet you again, my friend @PMOIndia @NarendraModi! #ShalomNamaste.”

I am so happy to meet you again, my friend @PMOIndia @NarendraModi! ???? #ShalomNamaste pic.twitter.com/UX1AItuPWy

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 14, 2018

Later on Sunday, Netanyahu and Modi attended a ceremony to rename a New Delhi square “Teen Murti” in honor of Indian soldiers who fell in battle during the 1918 British takeover of the Mediterranean port city of Haifa from the Ottomans.

“This gesture underscores the special link and the common history between Israel and India,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

PM Netanyahu and Indian PM @narendramodi attended a ceremony to name a square in New Delhi “Teen Murti” in honor of Haifa. The square is dedicated to the Indian soldiers who fell during World War I in the fighting to liberate Haifa. pic.twitter.com/xLyUn7ocAt

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 14, 2018

Netanyahu’s trip marks the first visit to India by an Israeli prime minister since 2003.

Last summer, Modi became the first sitting Indian prime minister to tour Israel. That trip came as Israel and India celebrated the 25th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations. Ties between the two countries have flourished in numerous realms — cultural, economic, defense and diplomatic, among them — in recent years.

Watch a video of Netanyahu’s arrival in India below:

Thank you to my good friend, Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi , who surprised me with a personal welcome at the airport upon my arrival in India. Together we will bring the relations between our countries to new heights! ???? pic.twitter.com/bPZftC4caF

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 14, 2018

Watch a video below of Indians greeting Netanyahu in Hebrew:

Take-a-guess at what the people of #India are saying – in #Hebrew – to @IsraeliPM @Netanyahu #BenjaminNetanyahu #NetanyahuInIndia pic.twitter.com/qFxvpnolTv

— Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) January 14, 2018