Spain, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia agree to work toward recognizing Palestinian state

By Reuters 22 March 2024, 4:22 pm

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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for a press conference at the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 22, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)

Spain has agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says following a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

Speaking for Spain, Sanchez expects the recognition to happen during the current four-year legislature that began last year.

He tells reporters the agreement was reached after meeting with his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts on the sidelines of the Council gathering on Friday morning.

“We are agreed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementation of a two-state solution, with Israeli and Palestinian States living side-by-side, in peace and security,” reads a joint statement issued by Ireland after the meeting.

Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain in November that a two-state solution was the answer to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Since 1988, 139 out of 193 United Nations member states have recognized Palestinian statehood.