The Portuguese Minster of foreign Affairs Rui Machete affairs attended the meeting of Arab Diplomats accredited to Portugal, held on 8th of April 2015, at the residency of the Ambassador of the United Arabs of Emirates. During the meeting they discussed the bilateral relations between the Arab countries and Portugal, as well as the latest developments in the Arab world. On the issue of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Minster Rui Machete, said:
“The Middle East region continues to be maelstrom of conflicts, some of them striving for decades. This is the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Portugal, as you know so well, has been a long and strong supporter of a two-state solution that can see a free and sovereign Palestine coexist peacefully and respectfully with the State of Israel. I am fully aware that the peace process suffered a couple of set-backs in recent times, but we are determined to introduce a new dynamics to it, to engage on a dialogue with both parties and lead them into a negotiation process that can finally achieve that two-states goal. With that in mind, the European Union has recently appointed a new Special Representative, the Italian diplomat Fernando Gentilini, with whom we intend to work closely and support his efforts. As most of you witnessed, at the National Assembly, the Portuguese Parliament approved a resolution asking for the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign State. I also attended the vote, especially to express the Government’s compromise to the two-state solution and our commitment to the creation of a fully functioning, well structured, democratic and sovereign State of Palestine. As I announced on my intervention on that day, the Portuguese Government will try to identify the best moment for that recognition to occur. We hope that a new momentum in the peace process can help us achieve the conditions that we consider best, for we would like that recognition – hopefully not only by Portugal but, in a concerted way, also by a growing number of countries – could have a decisive and positive contribution to the negotiations.”
