Palestine establishes diplomatic ties with Honduras, Salvador

Palestine on Friday established diplomatic relations with Honduras, during the Palestinian Authority foreign minister's tour of central American countries. Riyad al-Maliki met his Honduran counterpart Mireya Aguero in Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa and discussed strengthening bilateral ties. "As foreign ministers, we are going to take on the responsibility of deepening and expanding our relationship, spurring trade, investment and contact between Palestinian and Honduran business owners," Maliki said at a joint news conference in the capital Tegucigalpa. Earlier Friday, al-Maliki met Honduran President Porfirio Lobo. On behalf of President Abbas, al-Maliki thanked Lobo for his country's recognition of Palestine as a non-member state in the UN General Assembly. On Thursday, al-Maliki signed a similar agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Salvador. The agreement was signed in the office of Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez.