In statements to TV2 and in response to a question about the date of Norway’s official declaration on this issue, which was previously announced, he noted that ‘it will perhaps happen this spring.’

In his opinion, ‘in this case, the context is more important than the exact date,’ since the time will depend on how the process of peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Gaza Strip makes progress.

According to the minister, Norway is assesing the recognition of Palestine, together with other states that plan to take the corresponding decision at the same time.

However, ‘we want Palestine to be politically connected to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem,’ he stressed.

At present, that territory is considered an independent State by 140 of all 193 United Nations member countries, and there are Palestinian embassies and permanent missions in 95 nations around the world.

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