Denmark will upgrade the status of the Palestinian delegation in Copenhagen to the level of a mission in line with a number of other EU countries

Denmark will upgrade the status of the Palestinian delegation in Copenhagen to the level of a mission in line with a number of other EU countries, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said Wednesday.

"I'm pleased to announce our government's decision to upgrade the status of the Palestinian representation in Denmark," Rasmussen told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud  Abbas.

The Danish foreign ministry elaborated that the Palestinian delegation would be upgraded from the level of "Palestinian general representation" to "the Palestinian mission to Denmark."
Denmark's decision of only "virtual significance" does not change realities on the ground, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said on Thursday.

“Anyone who deludes the Palestinians [into thinking] that it can unilaterally establish a Palestinian state outside the framework of negotiations is diminishing the chances for peace and therefore, the creation of a Palestinian state,” Ayalon told the press during a briefing for foreign ambassadors.

Abbas, on his first official visit to Denmark, said the move reflected "the deep commitment between the two countries." "Let me also express my deepest gratitude for your government's decision to upgrade the Palestinian representation to a mission," he said.

Britain on Monday made the same move, following in the footsteps of fellow European Union members France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Norway, which is not a member of the EU, had in December also upgraded the Palestinian delegation to mission and handed its chief the title of head of mission and the rank of ambassador.