Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Sunday that he will travel to Washington next week to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace", AFP reported.
In an interview with an Albanian podcast, Rama confirmed his participation in the official creation of the peace council and the launch of its activities, which will take place on February 19.
The board, chaired by Trump, was initially formed to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, the scope of the board appears to extend beyond those efforts, according to its charter.
A controversial aspect of the board is the requirement for permanent members to pay $1 billion to join, sparking criticism that the initiative could become a "pay-to-play" version of the United Nations Security Council. Despite these concerns, the board has garnered significant international support. At least 19 countries have signed its founding charter since Trump launched the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
Rama has previously emphasized that Albania would not contribute financially to maintain permanent membership in the “Board of Peace." In Sunday’s interview, he reaffirmed, "Albania has the privilege of being a founding state, and it will not contribute financially to join or remain as a permanent member."
The official X account of the Board of Peace announced this past Thursday that Israel has joined the international organization as a founding member, joining 27 other countries.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar will represent Israel at the first meeting of the Board of Peace.