The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe granted Palestine a membership status, as a Mediterranean State that is a nonmember of the European Union.The Assembly of the OSCE adopted a draft resolution presented by Belgian Socialist Senator, Marie Arianna, during its 22nd session of the Parliamentary Committee convening in Istanbul, Turkey. The Palestinian Authority filed the application back in 2004.
After passing the vote, the OSCE urged both Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct peace talks in order to preserve the two-state solution.
Arianna urged all member states, and all nonmember Mediterranean countries, to act on reviving peace talks by starting a constructive dialogue.
The Senator filed her application based on the fact that Palestine was voted in as a nonmember state of the General Assembly of the United Nations in November of 2012, as a member state at the UNESCO in 2011, in addition to the “Partner for Democracy” status granted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in 2011.
Leila Shahid, Palestinian Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, thanked Arianna for her enormous efforts in helping Palestine achieve this membership status, and thanked all member states for their vote.
