Slovenia has become the 147th member of the United Nations to recognise Palestine. At an extraordinary session on Tuesday, the National Assembly endorsed the Government's decision recognising Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. 52 of the 53 deputies present voted in favour of the recognition, and none against.

In his initial reaction to the recognition, Prime Minister Robert Golob stressed that Slovenia was sending a message of hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza. The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, said that Slovenia would thus be able to more credibly support the Palestinian people on their difficult path towards true independence and equality in the international community. "Slovenia has taken a historic decision," underlined Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

In Slovenia Weekly's article you can read why Slovenia has decided to recognise Palestine now, why our country supports the two-state solution, and what Slovenia's expectations are both in its capacity as a responsible EU Member State and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.