​President of the Government receives President of State of Palestine

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, reiterated his wish for conditions of trust to be created so as to reactivate the Middle East Peace Process and Spain's firm commitment to the two-State solution to achieve general, fair and lasting peace, in line with the international parameters set to resolve the conflict. He supported the inter-Palestine reconciliation process within the framework of the principles of the Quartet and placed his trust in the results of the meeting to be held on Tuesday in Cairo with a view to the constitution of a government of unity.

The President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, reiterated his support for a strong and united Spain within the framework of the Constitution and the law.

They also addressed regional issues, expressing their concern, among others, for stability in Libya, where Spain has been taking part in UNIFIL since 2006.

Palestine expressed its gratitude for Spanish Cooperation, as well as the recent agreement reached by the Council of Ministers on making the financial conditions of its debt more flexible.

As regards trade relations between Spain and Palestine, it is noteworthy that bilateral trade amounted to 29 million euros in 2016, with a positive balance for Spain of 27 million euros. In that year, both exports and imports increased on the previous year, to stand at 28 million euros and 600,000 euros respectively.

From an investment perspective, Palestine is an important recipient of international financial assistance (both multilateral and bilateral), which may open up opportunities for foreign companies in various sectors, such as infrastructures, agriculture, energy and social sectors (healthcare, education, supplies for communities).

To date, the main Spanish trade operations in Palestine have taken place in the automotive, agri-food and pharmaceutical product sectors.

Non official translation