Lisbon – Saba:
The office of Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced on Thursday that the government is currently consulting with both the President and Parliament regarding the official recognition of the State of Palestine during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for September in New York City.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s office said that Portugal is “considering recognizing the State of Palestine as part of a coordinated move that could be implemented during the week of the UN General Assembly.”
Prime Minister Montenegro had earlier stated, in remarks reported by Agence France-Presse, that Portugal intends to move forward with the recognition of the Palestinian state, in a step aligned with similar international initiatives.
Portugal’s position comes amid growing international momentum toward the recognition of Palestine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela have already announced their countries' intention to take the same step during the same month.
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