Several EU Members Expected to Recognize Palestine in May

Riyadh, MINA – Several European Union (EU) members are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of May, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

Borrell made the remarks to reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the margins of the World Economic Forum on Monday.

According Anadolu Agency, his office confirmed that based on indications from various EU member states, Borrell expects some of them to make an announcement regarding “possible recognition of Palestine in the course of next month.”

On his remarks, a spokesperson later said they were “slightly over-interpreted.”

“This was said in the context of a wider discussion about the two-state solution, the latest vote in the UN Security Council on admitting Palestine, as a member and an upcoming vote on this same issue in the UN General Assembly,” he said.

His office reiterated that recognition comes on the level of individual member states, and is not a decision for the bloc.

Borrell “recalled the already publicly stated and known intentions or considerations of some EU member states when it comes to the possibility to recognize Palestine,” said the spokesperson.

EU members Ireland, Slovenia, Malta, Norway, and Spain have already announced their intention to recognize the Palestinian state.

Türkiye, among others, has stressed that recognition of Palestine as a contiguous state on the pre-1967 borders is key to ending the bloodshed in the Middle East. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)