Slovenia ready to recognize the state of Palestine: minister

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Slovenia’s foreign affairs minister Karl Erjavec speaks during a joint press conference after the Visegrad and other central and eastern European countries meeting in Budapest on December 4, 2017. / AFP / Attila Kisbenedek/

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AFP) — The Slovenian government hopes MPs will vote to recognize the Palestinian state and become only the second country to do so as an EU member-state, Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said Monday.

“Everybody (other EU member-states) backs such a Slovenian step that will happen if parliament green lights the proposal for recognizing the Palestinian state,” Erjavec told private channel POP TV.

The minister was speaking from Brussels, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met European foreign ministers, whom he urged to recognize Palestine.

Erjavecand Abbas had a bilateral meeting.

Of the 28 EU member-states, Sweden was first to officially recognize the Palestinian state in 2014. Eight other countries took the step before entering the EU: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus.

Slovenia’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee will meet in Ljubljana on January 31 to approve the proposal before sending it to parliament, which could vote on the issue in a session in March or April, according to Slovenian RTV public television.

“By recognizing it, (Slovenia) would strengthen Palestine’s negotiation in the Middle East peace process. We have an independent foreign policy, we do not need any other state to cover our back,” Erjavec said.

© Agence France-Presse