Ramallah – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Tuesday that the European Union must label products that come from illegal Israeli settlements and prevent them from entering their markets.

Citing Europe's belief in "international law and human rights," Shtayyeh told Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė in a meeting in Ramallah that there must be a "cost" to Israel's occupation and exploitation of resources in Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian prime minister discussed advancing bilateral relations with his Lithuanian counterpart, especially in trade, academic exchanges, artificial intelligence, information and communication technology, women's empowerment, waste recycling, and combating climate change.

Shtayyeh, alongside National Economy Minister Khaled Al-Osaili, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amal Jadou, and Representative of Lithuania to Palestine Bertas Venckaitis, updated Šimonytė on the latest developments on the ground in the Palestinian territories, stressing the Israel's intensified raids and killings in the occupied West Bank.

Pointing to Israel's policy to "erase" the 1967 borders and continued settlement expansion, Shtayyeh called on Lithuania to recognize the State of Palestine, with the aim of ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

On her part, Šimonytė reiterated Vilnius' support for the two-state solution and the peace process.