The statement by the Norwegian minister ensued after on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plan, which was immediately rejected by the Palestinians.
In 1993, the Oslo Accords were reached as a set of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and under the accords, the PLO recognised the State of Israel, whereas the Israeli authorities recognised the PLO as "the representative of the Palestinian people". Furthermore, the accords created a Palestinian Authority tasked with self-governance of the West Bank and sections of the Gaza Strip.
Minister Soreide today pointed out that Norway supported "a two-state solution", that further efforts should be based on the United Nations' resolutions and that the negotiations should involve all stakeholders: the Israelis, the Palestinians, the USA and the EU. The United Nations has on several occasions condemned the Israeli plans to build settlements on the West Bank.
The Norwegian minister said that any plan, including proposals from Washington, which can stand chances of succeeding in laying the foundations for negotiations between the two sides, must include both sides.
It is important that both sides are satisfied with the solution, she said at a news conference after meeting Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.
The Croatian minister said that his country supported any solution that would pave the way for solving the Middle East crisis that has been lasting for decades.
"We will welcome any effort that can contribute to building peace," Grlić Radman said, underscoring that "peace and stability have no alternative".
The two ministers agreed that the cooperation between Croatia and Norway was good.
They believe that there is room for advancing bilateral relations.
Grlić Radman acquainted his Norwegian counterpart with the priorities which Croatia, as the current chair of the Council of the European Union, has set out for its presidency, and Eriksen Soreide supported them.