MADRID: Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez on Friday said he will on May 22 announce the date on which Madrid will recognize a Palestinian state along with other countries.
He made the remarks during an interview with a private Spanish tv channel La Sexta.
Sanchez in March said that Spain and Ireland, along with Slovenia and Malta had agreed to take the first step toward the recognition of a Palestinian state, seeing a two-state solution as vital for lasting peace.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel last week told Spanish public radio that Spain, Ireland and Slovenia planned to symbolically recognize a Palestinian state on May 21, saying he had been given this date by Foreign Minister of Spain Jose Manuel Albares.
Foreign Minister of Ireland Micheal Martin on Tuesday said that Dublin was certain to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of the month but the specific date is still not finalized.
According to figures provided by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority 137 of the 193 UN member countries have recognized a Palestinian state so far.
Despite the growing number of EU countries in favor of such a move, neither France nor Germany support the move. Western nations have long argued such recognition should only happen as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.
