Spain welcomes top diplomats from Middle East to discuss two-state solution

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain welcomed diplomatic representatives from several Middle Eastern nations on Wednesday to discuss the two-state solution and its recent recognition of a Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met the group of leaders and top diplomats from Palestine, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan in Madrid before they went to a working meeting hosted by Spain’s foreign minister.

In a joint press conference, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said this dialogue between Spain and Middle Eastern nations aims to “act as a bridge between the Arab world and Europe … We have a historic responsibility to reach and articulate a common Euro-Arab action in favor of peace,” he said.

Albares said Spain’s formal recognition of Palestine on Tuesday, made alongside Ireland and Norway, “opens a new era of the recognition of national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis.”

He vowed to push toward a two-state solution, with more Western nations recognizing Palestine and Middle Eastern nations normalizing relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan thanked Spain for providing a “beacon of hope to the two-state solution and peace,” amid the dark chapter in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and created a humanitarian catastrophe.

“The only way forward is the path to peace, and the path to peace goes through a two-state solution, through a state of Palestine that lives in peace in harmony with all its neighbors, including Israel,” he said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan agreed, inviting the remaining EU nations to recognize Palestinian statehood. “We will continue to work tirelessly for a two-state solution for regional peace and security,” he said.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi hailed the recognition of Palestine by Spain and other countries as a “historic day for peace.”

“We urge all other countries to do the same. The future of the region cannot be held hostage by a radical, extremist Israeli government that continues its blatant aggressions against the Palestinian people, international law, and international court rulings and our shared human values,” he said.

“Only when Palestine is a free, sovereign and independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital that lives side by side with Israel, will our region have peace,” he added.

Palestine’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa also warmly thanked Spain for recognizing his nation as a state. “It strengthens our resolve to continue to struggle for a just and lasting peace,” he said.

The foreign affairs minister of Egypt is also set to visit Spain next Monday, according to the Spanish government.