Spain has agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps towards the recognition of a Palestinian StateThe President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, said on Friday after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
On behalf of Spain, Sánchez hopes that recognition will occur during his current four-year term, which began last year.
The agreement was reached after meeting with their Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterpartson the sidelines of the Council meeting on Friday morning.
“We agree that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through the implementation of a two-state solution, with the Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side in peace and security.”They said in a joint statement issued by Ireland after the meeting.
Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain in November that the two-state solution was the answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since 1988, 139 of the 193 United Nations member states have recognized the statehood of Palestine.
