RAMALLAH, Thursday, November 19, 2020 (WAFA) – Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riyad Malki today reminded the European Union countries of the due recognition of the State of Palestine.
Speaking in a video-conference meeting with the foreign ministers of the EU, Malki reminded the EU countries that have not recognized the State of Palestine of the due recognition as a means to salvage the two-state solution.
He pointed that despite US President Donald Trump’s attack on the two-state solution and replacing it with its ill-famed plan, dubbed deal of the century, the international consensus on the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders is continuous and stressed the importance that the EU translates its commitment to the two-state solution into concrete actions on the ground.
He reminded the EU foreign ministers of President Mahmoud Abbas’ initiative for convening an international peace conference and formulating a multilateral approach to launch a genuine peace process, and urged the EU countries to positively engage in and facilitate the success of the initiative.
He also called on the EU countries to speedily launch negotiations on a full Palestine-EU partnership agreement and convene the Palestinian-European Partnership Council.
He touched upon President Abbas’ efforts to end the intra-Palestinian division and prepare for legislative and presidential elections throughout the Palestinian territories that have been under Israeli occupation since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who chaired the virtual meeting, stressed the EU’s longstanding position on the Palestinian question, opposition to the Israeli colonial settlement construction, as well as to the Israeli occupation authorities’ policies of home demolitions, land grab and annexation.
He emphasized the EU’s ongoing support to the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), so that it would overcome its financial crisis and continue to offer services to refugees, as well as the EU’s interest in successful reconciliation talks.
Meanwhile, Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu underscored the need to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the EU and Palestine in order to contribute to the institutional construction and development of Palestine, as reported in Romania’s national press agency (AGERPRES).
He also underscored “the need for the EU to act as an honest mediator between Israel and Palestine, in close cooperation with the US and relevant regional actors, with the main objective of unblocking the Middle East Peace Process by resuming direct negotiations between the parties, which Romania supports.”
At the same time, the top Romanian diplomat reiterated “Romania's support for a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East Peace Process, based on the two-state solution - this being the only solution that meets the needs of both parties, as states coexisting in peace and security.”
K.F.
