Spain does not intend to recognize Palestine on May 21, PM says
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Spain denies that it seeks to recognize Palestinian statehood on May 21, but says it is ready to do so at a later date.
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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addresses the European Parliament, December 13, 2023 at in Strasbourg, eastern France
Spain will not recognize the Palestinian state on May 21 as previously speculated, but remains open to doing so in coordination with other countries at a later date, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Friday.
This clarification follows recent reports from Irish broadcaster RTÉ that Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Malta were considering recognizing Palestinian statehood on May 21.
However, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares did not confirm these reports, although he indicated that a fundamental decision on the matter had been reached.
In an interview with Spanish broadcaster La Sexta, Sanchez stated, "This will not occur next Tuesday… because we are coordinating with other countries so that we make a joint declaration and recognition."
Currently, nine EU member states recognize Palestine. Eight countries, namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, recognized Palestine in 1988 before joining the European Union, and Sweden recognized Palestine in 2014.
RTÉ reported that two sources revealed that May 21 was being studied as the possible date for the declaration, and a third source said that communications between Ireland and Spain, as well as Slovenia and Malta, have been increasing in a vision of the countries jointly recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris spoke to his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on May 6, which a government spokesperson labeled as "a good and thorough call" regarding the "grave situation in the Middle East."
"On recognition [of Palestine], our work continues together on recognizing the State of Palestine. They reaffirmed the wish for both Spain and Ireland to recognize Palestine, agreeing that formal recognition is an important part of acknowledging that a two-state solution is the only way to bring about peace and stability in the region, with the State of Palestine and the State of Israel living side-by-side in peace and security," the spokesperson said.
Speaking with RTÉ News, a spokesperson for Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense Micheál Martin said, "Discussions with a number of like-minded European partners are ongoing on the recognition of the State of Palestine."
"Ireland's focus will continue to be on ensuring a decision on recognition has a positive impact on the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, based on a two-state solution, and supports progress towards comprehensive regional peace, based on the principles of the Arab Peace Plan," they added.
