The Spanish government intends to recognize the Palestinian state on May 21, the Italian Nova Agency reported, citing the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

Borrell's statements came during a television interview, in response to a question about whether he was aware of the date of recognition of the Palestinian state. Borrell responded that this information was provided to him by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez. In addition to Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia also intend to move forward with the recognition of Palestine.

On April 29, the High Representative announced the possibility of recognition by the end of this month. Borrell spoke about this on the sidelines of a special meeting organized on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly will vote today on a resolution aimed at calling on the Security Council to positively reconsider Palestine's application to become the 194th member of the United Nations. According to the UN Charter, potential members of the UN must be "peace-loving", and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a non-member observer state in the United Nations in 2012. On April 18, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have paved the way for Palestine's full membership in the United Nations. In contrast to the Security Council, the 193-member General Assembly has no veto power, and a resolution can be passed by a large majority.