Slovenia and Spain have expressed their support for recognizing the State of Palestine when the time is right, saying they hope recognition will help end the armed conflict in Gaza.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golub and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, announced this position in a joint press conference after their meeting yesterday, Tuesday.

Golub said that recognizing Palestine would be a step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza, but added that it was "not the only step and will not be sufficient in itself."

For his part, Sanchez said that to prevent escalation of the conflict in Gaza, “we can choose the path of international recognition (of Palestine) and diplomacy.”
The visit follows a similar joint statement signed by the prime ministers of Spain, Slovenia, Ireland and Malta in late March, stating that these countries stand ready to recognize the State of Palestine when “conditions are appropriate.”

Slovenia, the current non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said last week that it would support Palestine's membership in the UN during a council vote later this week.