Slovenia Recognizes Palestine, Joining Growing Movement
The Slovenian Parliament voted on Tuesday to approve a decree recognizing the state of Palestine.
The vote came after the governing coalition rejected an opposition motion, according to Agerpres, citing AFP. The decree passed with 52 votes out of 90, as the opposition boycotted the session.
Last Thursday, Slovenia announced its formal recognition of Palestine as an independent state. The decision follows one taken by the centre-left government of Prime Minister Robert Golob. Slovenia joins three other European countries – Spain, Ireland, and Norway – which last week recognized Palestine as an independent state. This move provoked the anger of Israel, which withdrew its ambassadors from these countries.
Prime Minister Robert Golob, who leads a coalition comprised of his liberal party and two social democratic parties, believes this recognition "sends a message of peace." "The time has come for the whole world to join forces in pursuit of a two-state solution that will bring peace to the Middle East," the government leader argued.
Currently, 143 of the 193 UN member states recognize Palestine as a state. Ten of these are EU member states: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary, which took this decision during the communist era, along with Cyprus, Sweden, Spain, and Ireland.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
