Denmark and Finland Saturday announced plans to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Missions in Copenhagen and Helsinki, according to a joint press release. The two countries will present to the Palestinian Government a draft agreement that would give a status equivalent to that of an embassy to the Palestinian Missions in their capitals, the State of Palestine news agency "WAFA," cited the joint press release as saying. The release pointed out that all Nordic countries will be offering the same working conditions for official Palestinian representatives as is the case for accredited diplomats serving in an embassy of a recognized state. Danish and Finnish Foreign Ministers Villy Sovndal and Erkki Sakari Tuomioja said, “Palestine is in a phase of state-building, and many challenges remain for President [Mahmoud] Abbas to handle before we can recognize Palestine formally as a state." “We hope that the intention to give, for all practical purposes, the Palestinian Missions in our capitals conditions for work identical to those of an embassy will encourage Abbas to engage with determination in the necessary negotiations with the Israeli government on a two-state solution." It is expected that the changes to the status of the Palestinian Missions in Denmark and Finland will be implemented in the course of 2013.
