?Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah at the joint press conference in Paris with his French counterpart Edouard Philippe. (WAFA Images / Maan Khalifa) 

PARIS, Saturday, December 08, 2018 (WAFA) – Palestine and France signed 10 cooperation agreements on Friday during a visit for Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to Paris and his meeting with his French counterpart Edouard Philippe.

Hamdallah thanked France during a joint press conference with Philippe for its support for Palestine on all levels and its support for the two-state solution.

"As I expressed in our discussions with Prime Minister Philippe today, we are grateful for the French positions which demonstrate strong commitments to deepen and develop our partnership and cooperation and I would like to emphasize that this is also our commitment,” said Hamdallah.

He said that the meeting of the joint French-Palestinian ministerial committee in Paris is important for promoting cooperation between their two countries and peoples.

Hamdallah said that French support was vital for developing the Palestinian economy and strengthening government institutions through capacity building, particularly in areas such as health, education, agricultural and water, among others.

“Our meeting today in Paris is a strong demonstration of the solidarity between the French and Palestinian peoples, as well as the tremendous opportunities for cooperation between us,” he said.

On the peace process, Hamdallah appreciated French efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and called for establishing an international group to revive the deadlocked peace process.

"I would like to emphasize the utmost importance of recognizing the independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” said the prime minister. “This recognition will help save the two-state solution and give hope and optimism to our Palestinian people.”

Foreign Minister Riyad Malki, meanwhile, signed in Paris on Friday with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, 10 cooperation agreements in education, budget, local governance, civil defense, environment, water, agriculture and developing the private sector.

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