REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, STOCKHOLM - Sweden's new Prime Minister Stefan Loefven said Friday the Nordic country would recognize a Palestinian state, underlining his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and the will to co-exist peacefully," Loefven said in his inaugural address to parliament.

That should take place with respect for the "legitimate demands of the Palestinians and the Israelis as regards their right to self-determination and security", he added as reported by AFP.

Loefven's Social Democratic-Green Party coalition -- which formed a minority government on Friday -- is more supportive of demands for a Palestinian state than the previous centre-right administration. Both the Greens and the Social Democrats opposed a decision by former foreign minister Carl Bildt to not give Swedish support to a UN vote recognizing Palestine.

The Social Democrats, the largest party in the Swedish parliament, wrote in their election manifesto that "Israel's war crimes must be investigated and the occupation of Gaza lifted".

The party added that "Sweden and the rest of the world must actively support its (Palestine's) work towards reconciliation". The prime minister did not specify whether the policy would be submitted to a vote in parliament.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika