Barbados has announced its decision to officially recognize Palestine as a state, becoming the 11th member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to adopt such a measure, Press TV reported.   

Foreign Minister Kerrie Symmonds said in a statement on Friday that the cabinet had “made the determination that the time is ripe for us to have a formal diplomatic recognition of the State of Palestine.”

He stressed that the island nation has always maintained at the United Nations that there should be a two-state solution.

Symmonds criticized, however, the fact that Barbados has never recognized Palestine until now.

“I think [it was] an error that we have made through the years,” he said. “And now, we have formally reached out to the State of Palestine to signal our intention to formally recognize them as a State,” he added.

bd-pratidin/GR