Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that the country expects recognition of independence from nine more countries in 2023, RIA Novosti reports.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said earlier that the recognition of his country is the key to peace in the region. Currently, 138 states recognize the independence of Palestine. On November 18, 1988, the USSR officially recognized the State of Palestine, and then the Russian Federation.

Riyad al-Maliki stressed that the Palestinian government takes the issue of recognizing independence very seriously and expects that this year the number of states recognizing Palestine will reach 155.

The diplomat added that currently the Palestinian authorities are working with one country in Africa and another in America, where they are also working on the recognition of the independence of the State of Palestine. Al-Maliki added that work is also underway on this issue with 7-8 countries of Western Europe.

Earlier, Riyad al-Maliki said that Palestine will continue to expand cooperation with the Russian Federation.