Bangladesh has urged the European Union member states to expedite their formal recognition of the State of Palestine, affirming this as a crucial step toward legitimizing and empowering Palestinian sovereignty and self-determination.

Bangladesh also urged the global community to put pressure on Israel to halt illegal settlement activities and fulfil its Oslo Accord obligations.

A delegation from Bangladesh, led by Md Shafiqur Rahman, Director General (West Asia) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in the Brussels follow-up meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.

The meeting was convened to galvanize international efforts for a just and enduring resolution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, protracted for decades.

During his intervention, the Director General (West Asia) underscored the imperative of realizing the establishment of two sovereign states based on the pre-1967 and commended the initiative of the Global Alliance to find practical measures in terms of political, security and accountability.

Advocating a multilateral approach, he called upon the global actors to deploy all available diplomatic instruments to advance this critical agenda.

The delegation further exhorted European Union member states to leverage their influence to discourage any vetoes by Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council that could obstruct adopting a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war and resultant peace initiatives.

Bangladesh’s participation in the meeting reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the principles of justice, equity, and upholding international law in resolving the protracted conflict, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday night.

It also reaffirmed Bangladesh's enduring solidarity with the Palestinian people and its steadfast support for a two-state solution as the cornerstone of the Middle Eastern peace process.