RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Norwegian officials relayed the decision on Wednesday that the status of the Palestinian diplomatic representative would be upgraded from a “General Delegation” to that of a “Diplomatic Mission” headed by an ambassador.

The decision was announced to the Palestinian Authority Cabinet the same afternoon, where officials welcomed the move, saying it represented Norwegian "support for building the institutions of an independent Palestinian State."

Cabinet members called on more nations of the world to make similar steps.

In October, Portugal upgraded Palestinian diplomatic representation in the country from an office to a mission, three days after the nation was elected to the UN Security Council, beating out Canada, which was criticized for its out of step policy toward the Mideast.

The move followed similar upgrades in diplomatic status for Palestinian representatives in both the United States and France, who made the changes in June.