Joseph Borrell: Several countries will recognize Palestinian independence by the end of May

The High Representative of the European Union for foreign policy and security, Joseph Borrell, announced that several EU countries may recognize Palestine .

Several European member states are expected to recognize the Palestinian state by the end of May. Reuters reported this with reference to the statement of EU Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell during the special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on April 29. The head of EU diplomacy did not specify which countries are being discussed.

In March, Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia jointly announced their desire to recognize a Palestinian state.

For example, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, previously said that Madrid wants to extend the period of recognition of Palestinian independence until July , and that a " massive mass" will soon appear in the EU, which will encourage several members to take the same position.

So far, 9 countries of the European Union - Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Sweden have recognized Palestine.

140 out of 193 UN member states have recognized the Palestinian territories as a separate state .