Portugal will recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.
According to the statement, the official recognition will take place before a high-level conference next week.
In August, Reuters reported an announcement by Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who said that his government “decided to promote consultations with the president and the political parties represented in parliament with a view to consider the recognition of the Palestinian state in a process that could be concluded ... at the UN General Assembly in September.”
While several countries have recognized a Palestinian state in recent years, Lisbon has indicated it prefers to coordinate its stance with fellow EU members before making such a decision.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has long urged countries to recognize “Palestine” as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel.
While several countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.