HELSINKI, KOMPAS.com – The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, expressed his readiness to approve the recognition of the state of Palestine if he receives an official proposal from the government.

This statement was made amid growing international support for the recognition of Palestine, ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UN) which will be held in September 2025.

"The decisions taken by France, the UK and Canada strengthen the trend of recognizing the state of Palestine as part of efforts to revive the peace process," Stubb wrote in his post on the X platform on Thursday (31/7/2025).

As head of state, President Stubb does have limited authority in the Finnish government system.

However, he plays an important role in formulating and coordinating foreign policy with the government.

"If I receive a proposal to recognize the state of Palestine, I am ready to agree to it," he said, while deploring the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as quoted by the AFP news agency.

Stubb acknowledged that the issue of recognizing Palestine has sparked disagreements in Finland. He also acknowledged growing public concern and called for an open and honest debate on the matter.

Stubb's stance is not fully supported by all political parties in his country. The far-right Finnish party and the Christian Democratic Party openly reject the idea of recognizing a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Friday (1/8/2025) reiterated his country's official position supporting a two-state solution.

However, he did not state explicitly whether the government was ready to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.

"Discussions on foreign policy and Middle East issues with the President will continue until the UN conference at the end of September," Orpo said.