Palestinian Premier and Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa revealed that five European countries will soon recognize the Palestinian state.
In exclusive statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said: “Other important and internationally prominent non-European countries will follow... They will also soon recognize the Palestinian state, and some of them may take several months...”
In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat from Riyadh, the prime minister underlined the importance of Saudi Arabia’s role, stressing that coordination with “the brothers in Saudi Arabia is at the highest level.”
“Saudi Arabia has linked any regional peace to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” Mustafa stated, adding that the Kingdom plays a diplomatic role in pushing for the release of Palestinian funds that are withheld by Israel, and in supporting the government’s plans for the post-war stage.
Commenting on the Brussels meeting, during which the Palestinian Prime Minister presented the reform plan with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Quartet office on Palestine, Mustafa noted that all partners have “praised the government’s reform program [...] and the wise policy of President Mahmoud Abbas.”
Meanwhile, a European official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the European Union appreciates Saudi Arabia’s efforts with regard to reviving the peace process.
Luis Miguel Bueno, the official spokesman for the European Union for the Middle East and North Africa, referred to the meeting in Brussels, on Monday, with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and the Emirates.
Bueno highly valued the Kingdom’s efforts towards ending the war and establishing a “Palestinian state that lives side by side with the State of Israel.”
The European official also pointed to intensified diplomatic movements in Brussels, which he said “express a shared vision by the European Union and our Arab partners to move forward towards a two-state solution.”
