BRUSSELS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday called on EU states to swiftly recognize the state of Palestine, amid an international uproar sparked by the U.S. administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Abbas made the remarks before an informal lunch with EU foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the sideline of the bloc's monthly foreign affairs council.
Hailing the EU as a "true partner and friend", Abbas tried to convince the bloc that "there is no contradiction between the recognition (of the state of Palestine) and the resumption of negotiations."
Striking a touching note, Abbas said the EU has contributed and continues to contribute to the building of the state of Palestine and its institutions with financial and economic support.
The EU has left the issue of whether to recognize the state of Palestine to member states themselves, most of which have wavered over such a decision.
Speaking of the tension with Israel, Abbas said the Palestinians "are still committed to the treaties we signed with Israel", stressing that Israel should do the same.
Speaking along with Abbas, Mogherini underscored that the EU has "already invested a great deal in the Palestinian state-building project, and we are also looking at what options we have to strengthen our support from the European Union."
She reasserted the EU's "firm commitment" to the two-state solutions, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of Israel and Palestine.
"This is and remains the EU position, based on the Oslo Accords and the international consensus embodied in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions," she said.
"It is also, we believe, the only realistic and viable way to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both parties," she added.
Mogherini declared that the EU will co-host with Norway in Brussels an extraordinary session of the international donor group for Palestine on Jan. 31, saying, "this will be an opportunity to bring the parties and all other relevant actors together."
Abbas's visit to Brussels coincided with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's trip to Israel, which is the third leg of his five-day tour to the Middle East starting from Friday.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a similar visit to Brussels last month, during which he met with 28 EU foreign minters and Mogherinis, trying to ram home his point on the status of Jerusalem, but to no avail.
Pence started his visit to Israel on Monday with a meeting with Netanyahu during which he said it was an honor "to be in Israel's capital, Jerusalem."
Netanyahu thanked Pence for U.S. President Donald Trump's "historic statement," in which he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and which Pence said he supports.
The vice U.S. president also met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi Saturday and held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II earlier on Sunday before arriving in Israel.
Changing a long-held U.S. policy, Trump said last month he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that the United States will relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
His statement was hailed by Israel but angered the Palestinians, with whom Pence has no meeting during his visit, and raised tensions in the region. The statement was denounced by other Arab and European countries.
Israel seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it shortly after, claiming it as part of its indivisible capital. The move, however, has never been recognized internationally.
