UPDATE 1-Finland joins declaration on two-state solution between Israel, Palestinians

Finland is joining a declaration on a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question and implementation of a two-state solution, the Nordic country said in a statement on Friday.

The declaration is the result of an international conference at the U.N. in July hosted by Saudi Arabia and France on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event. "The process led by France and Saudi Arabia is the most significant international effort in years to create the conditions for a two-state solution," Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen said on X.

The first step outlined in the declaration is to end the nearly two year long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza. Saudi Arabia and France have called on countries at the United Nations to support the declaration that outlines "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards implementing a two-state solution.

Unlike some other European nations, such as Spain and Norway, Finland has not recognised Palestine as a state. The Finnish coalition government is internally divided over a formal recognition.

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