Portugal Announces Recognition of the State of Palestine

Portugal has announced that it will officially recognize the State of Palestine. In a statement released on Friday, September 19, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the recognition will take place on Sunday, September 21, ahead of next week’s high-level United Nations conference.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel had earlier hinted at this decision during his visit to the United Kingdom, indicating that Portugal was considering recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state.

Last year, in May, neighboring Spain under its left-leaning government, along with Ireland and Norway, officially recognized the Palestinian state. Spain also urged other European Union countries to follow suit. At that time, Portugal had taken a more cautious stance.

Among the 27 member states of the European Union, only a few have formally recognized Palestine, including some former communist countries, Sweden, and Cyprus.

Next week, during the United Nations General Assembly, several other countries are expected to recognize Palestine, including France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Belgium, and Luxembourg.