In pics: Guests who made 2018 special

Benjamin Netanyahu,was the first  Israeli Prime Minister to visit India in more than a decade. Accompanied by a 130-member business delegation, Mr Netanyahu was in India on a six-day visit(14-19january). The Israeli PM held comprehensive talks with PM Modi and also visited his home state Gujarat, where the two leaders held a joint road show. PM Modi also hosted him for a private dinner.

The Israeli PM also visited Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Agra. On January 15, he also met with the Indo-Israeli CEO forum in New Delhi and addressed a separate business event. He also delivered a speech at the Raisina Dialogue on January 16.

 Mr Netanyahu also met President Ram Nath Kovind. Deals for gas and oil cooperation, cybersecurity and agricultural projects were on the agenda. The two countries have grown closer since Narendra Modi became Indian Prime minister in 2014, widening commercial cooperation beyond their longstanding defence ties.

Modi hosted 10 southeast Asian leaders as guests of honour at India's republic day celebrations.

This was the first time when ten leaders from different countries witnessed the Republic Day celebration as guest.  It was very special because the Southeast Asian bloc completed its 50 years of formation (created on 8 August 1967) and India completed its 25 years of partnership (started in 1992) with the grouping in 2017.  The leaders of ASEAN also met President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 25.

Hassan Rouhani, was the first Iranian President to visit India(15-18February) in a decade. The last presidential visit was by then president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2008.

 The two countries signed a dozen pacts including one on double taxation avoidance and another for the leasing by an Indian company of a container terminal facility in Iran’s strategically located Chabahar port. 

India and Iran also signed another trilateral pact with Afghanistan that would allow the transport of goods among the three countries. 

Accompanied by his family, the 46-year-old Canadian Prime Minister visited India from 17-23 February and was by Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh.

His trip to India made a lot of undesired headlines globally, but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can still make jokes about it.  which he joked some commentators had pointed out, was a “very big deal'', as Prime Minister Narendra Modi,is  usually present to greet fellow heads of state on their arrival.

Trudeau began the first full day of his visit by taking a tour of the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra and later visited Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura. He visited the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad and the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar. Mr Trudeau also addressed the students at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

The Canadian Prime Minister held bilateral meeting with PM Modi on February 23 during which the two leaders focused on trade, defense, civil nuclear cooperation, space, tackling climate change energy and education.

French President Emmanuel Macron travelled with his wife Brigitte and delegation of businessmen and ministry officials to India from March 9-12, 2018. 

 Macron held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to enhance and cooperate in the defence, maritime, security and energy-related sectors.

Macron also chaired the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and also made a visit to Taj Mahal and headed to Varanasi where he was accompanied by PM Modi. 

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited India from March 22-25, 2018.

German President held wide-ranging talks with Indian leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, who stressed that the world community must be unanimous in curbing and rooting out terror in all forms. Steinmeier,and Modi discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership during their meeting at the renovated Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre heritage park in central Delhi.

Steinmeier was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and had also visited Varanasi. He also had an interaction with students at the Delhi University. 

 President of the Republic of Korea visited India from July 8-11, 2018.

President Moon Jae-in's visit to India was very successful and gave momentum to the bilateral relationship. On July 10, the two sides signed 10 agreements covering a broad spectrum of sectors, including infrastructure, trade, railways, artificial intelligence, big data and anti-dumping.They also signed a document to facilitate negotiations to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and set a goal of raising the bilateral trade to $ 50 billion by 2030.

During Moon's visit, the two leaders jointly inaugurated the world's largest mobile phone factory in Noida. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin met for the 19th edition of the Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi on October 4-5, 2018. The key feature of this was the signing of the agreement to deliver S-400 air defence system.

Putin also met with the President of India Ram Nath Kovind, besides holding other official engagements.