REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ATHENS -- Greece's parliament approved a resolution on Tuesday calling on the government to recognise the state of Palestine, but Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras said Athens will judge when the time is right to make the formal move.

At a special session attended by visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, all parliamentary parties voted in favour of the move, speaker Nikos Voutsis said.

It urges the Greek government to "promote appropriate procedures for the recognition of a Palestinian state and every diplomatic effort for the resumption of discussions for peace" in the region, Voutsis added.

Abbas said he was proud to be in the Greek parliament, calling it "the sanctuary of democracy", and thanked the deputies for a vote he said would "contribute to the creation of a Palestinian state".

Deputy speaker Tassos Kourakis also called the resolution "an important step" towards the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Tsipras announced Monday after talks with Abbas that Greece would no longer refer on official documents to the Palestinian Authority, but rather to Palestine.

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