Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey join Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative
Saudi Arabia and a group of Muslim majority countries have agreed to join the “Board of Peace” initiative proposed by Donald Trump, according to a statement released by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
In a joint announcement, Riyadh said the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates had taken a shared decision to join the body, which is expected to be chaired by Trump. The ministers said they supported the U.S. president’s peace efforts related to the Gaza conflict.
The Kuwait Foreign Ministry later confirmed that Kuwait had also accepted an invitation to join the board.
According to available information, invitations were sent to dozens of world leaders, reportedly including a request for financial contributions for permanent membership. The Saudi statement did not refer to any payment.
The initiative was initially presented as a mechanism to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. However, its charter does not limit its mandate to the enclave and has prompted concerns that it could compete with the United Nations. Some U.S. allies, including France, have voiced reservations and indicated they would not participate.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had accepted an invitation to join the board.
Donald Trump also invited President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan to join the board. The Head of State is set to visit Davos where the signing ceremony of the Charter of the board will take place.
