Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has announced that his country is ready to recognize the state of Palestine and its proper place in the United Nations (UN).
The news came after a meeting with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, who embarked on a European tour to persuade more nations to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
“The question is at what time and in what environment (recognize Palestine OP) in order to support the process towards peace in the region. And what this meeting today clearly showed is that we remain very closely coordinated between Madrid and Oslo,” he said.
Sanchez said Spain wants to recognize Palestine “as soon as possible,” using the move as a way to gain momentum for a final peace process.
The leaders emphasized the historical importance of Spain and Norway as mediators. The Madrid Conference in 1991 began the negotiations that eventually led to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Store specified that he would “actively engage” with Spain on the recognition of Palestine in the coming weeks and that he supports a “democratic Palestine” in which Gaza and the West Bank are governed by the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, Sanchez said there was “clear momentum” around recognizing Palestine because of the situation in Gaza, pointing to an upcoming debate at the United Nations on Palestine becoming a full member state.
Both Norway and Spain also condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged population.
“But in addition, it is necessary to achieve a political solution that will bring peace and justice to the region once and for all, and we all agree that only a two-state solution will end the conflict,” he added.
Sanchez said Oslo and Madrid were “powerful reminders” of the possibility of peace and called for an international peace conference “as soon as possible”, AA writes.
