Pedro Sánchez receives the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, for the first time in Madrid

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

This visit constitutes "a very important milestone in the history of our two countries", said the president of the Government of Spain. This is the first visit by the head of state of Palestine since Spain recognised it as a fully-fledged state within the international community.

President Abbas has on several occasions thanked Spain and the president of the Government of Spain for the role that Spain has played since the beginning of the conflict, with continued support for the Palestinian people in the international community. Therefore, in his speech, Abbas called for Madrid to host a future peace conference, in explicit recognition of the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, which was the starting point of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The meeting came a week after the meeting - also held in Madrid - with members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group on Gaza and like-minded European countries, which adopted a joint statement on the implementation of the two-state solution.

It also came a day after the United Nations General Assembly adopted - with Spain voting in favour - a resolution calling for measures to be taken against Israel on the basis of the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion, which ruled Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.

The president of the Government of Spain once again called for an urgent end to the war in Gaza, also pointing to the risk of escalation in the region, specifically in Lebanon, where he called for "containment".

In this regard, he added that it is "absolutely necessary" that the parties agree to a ceasefire in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2735. A ceasefire that puts an end to the violence, guarantees humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and allows the release of all hostages because "we cannot remain impassive in the face of the suffering of thousands of innocent people".

President Sánchez also warned of "the threat looming over the international order based on rules", which constitutes the fundamental pillar that guarantees international peace and security and for which it is necessary to "denounce any outrage" against international law and international humanitarian law.

In this respect, the president of the Government of Spain recalled that, in relation to the Advisory Opinion issued on 19 July by the International Court of Justice, which establishes the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the occupied territories, and the precautionary measures established by the same Court, which call for a halt to the Israeli military offensive, "are obligatory".

Meeting between the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

President Abbas' visit makes Spain's commitment to the Palestinian people and to the two-state solution as the only way to put an end to the Middle East conflict visible. Also, the importance that the Government attaches to continuing to take steps bilaterally and multilaterally that contribute to consolidating the statehood and projection of the Palestinian state, as Sánchez has conveyed to Abbas.

At the same time, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the upcoming first intergovernmental meeting between the Government of Spain and the Government of Palestine, which will help to structure future bilateral relations in various areas.

Likewise, he pointed out that the ministerial meeting that will take place on 26 September on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York will be fundamental in bringing more countries together to revive the political process and offer a political perspective that "restores hope to the Palestinian people".

Non official translation