Saudi Arabia, Norway host meeting on coordinated approach to recognition of Palestine in Brussels

• Meeting discussed the urgent need to end the war in Gaza and take the necessary steps to implement a two-state solution

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Norway hosted a meeting on a coordinated approach to the recognition of Palestine in Brussels on Sunday.

The meeting discussed the urgent need to end the war in Gaza and take the necessary steps to implement a two-state solution, Saudi Press Agency reported.

It was attended by ministers and representatives of Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye, the UAE, the UK, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The meeting is a continuation of a previous one on the same subject hosted by Riyadh on April 29 for Arab and European ministers.

The conference expressed support for efforts aimed at reaching an immediate ceasefire, releasing prisoners and hostages, ending the war in the Gaza Strip and all illegal unilateral measures and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories including controlling the Rafah crossing, and addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Concrete steps toward establishing a Palestinian state in the context of the two-state solution, and adopting a political path that supports a sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were also topics of discussion.

The meeting stressed the importance of the international community’s recognition of the Palestinian state in order to adopt a comprehensive approach toward a reliable and irreversible path to implementing the two-state solution in accordance with international law and agreed standards, including UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

This would then lead to a just and lasting solution that meets the rights of the Palestinian people and achieves security in the region, paving the way for normal relations between countries, the meeting heard.

The meeting comes before Norway, Spain and Ireland formally recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel.