KUALA LUMPUR: The recognition of Palestinian statehood is needed to ensure a lasting peace in the region, says Nordic countries' ambassadors.
Norwegian ambassador to Malaysia, Morten Paulsen, said that the recognition by his country for Palestine to be an independent state comes at the right time as a means for a peace process between the conflicting parties of Israel and Palestine.
"Norway has a long history of engaging with the situation in Palestine. For 30 years, we have been active in the attempts to create a two-state solution.
"Now, Norway feels it is the right moment to recognise Palestine as an independent state, partly due to Saudi Arabia's initiative to link the recognition of Israel with a two-state solution," said Paulsen.
He said the two-state solution is the only solution, and hopes that Norway's recognition of Palestine as a state will inspire other countries to follow.
"We hope that this will release momentum for other states to come and follow us. I'm not aware of what those countries are, but I understand there is a group that might follow the three first countries from Europe," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Nordic Day celebrations, here.
Yesterday, Norway, was among the three countries that announced that they will recognise a Palestinian state along with Ireland and Spain.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said that the recognition would take place on May 28.
Swedish ambassador to Malaysia Dr Joachim Bergstrom, on the other hand, said that Sweden's recognition of Palestinian statehood 10 years ago was very much on the grounds of Norway.
Bergstrom said that such recognition is to instil hope in the two-state solution, which he felt is the only way forward.
"The other reason was to not only instil hope, but also to put the negotiating partners or parties on more eye level.
"So in recognising Palestinian statehood, Sweden also wanted to elevate the status of the Palestinian and the Palestinian cause to push the peace process forward.
"We still believe that any long-lasting and sustainable solution to this conflict has to be negotiated between the countries and also with the strong support and encouragement from the international community as well as elements of the United Nations," he said.
Meanwhile, the Finnish ambassador to Malaysia and Brunei, Sami Leino underscored the humanitarian issues behind the conflict and also advocated for a two-state solution as a means to resolve the current crisis.
"Finland is very worried about the situation and we have, like our colleagues from Sweden and Norway, been working hard for a long time, advocating and negotiating for a sustainable two-state solution as the only way forward and solution to the current crisis.
"We also have been long-time funders and supporters of the UN relief agency and also contributed to the European Union for the relief efforts in Palestine," Leino said.
For decades, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state has been seen as the endgame of a peace process between Palestinians and their Israeli neighbours.
The United States and most Western European nations have said they are willing to one day recognise Palestinian statehood, but not before agreement is reached on sensitive issues like final borders and the status of Jerusalem.
However, after Hamas' Oct 7 attacks and Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza, diplomats are reconsidering once-contentious ideas.
In 2014, Sweden, which has a large Palestinian community, became the first EU member in Western Europe to recognise Palestinian statehood.
It had earlier been recognised by six other European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
Hamas' Oct 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Hamas also took 252 hostages, 124 of whom remain in Gaza including 37 the army says are dead.