On Friday, the Finnish government announced its decision to join the French-Saudi “New York Declaration” regarding a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution.

The declaration is the outcome of an international conference held at the United Nations last July, hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, addressing the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the conference.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated, “The process led by France and Saudi Arabia is the most significant international effort in years to create the conditions for a two-state solution.”

The first step outlined in the declaration is to end the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Unlike other European countries such as Spain and Norway, Finland has not officially recognized Palestine as a state. The Finnish coalition government remains internally divided on the issue of formal recognition.

Finland’s announcement comes just days after a similar declaration from Belgium, with Brussels stating its intention to join the countries recognizing Palestine.

It is worth noting that at the end of last July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly meetings held from September 9 to 23.