Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will soon decide whether to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said, as Ankara reviews the initiative’s legal and political framework.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu news agency on the sidelines of a Turkey-Uzbekistan “4+4 mechanism” meeting on Tuesday, Fidan said the proposed body will be formed at the level of heads of state and government and will operate under a founding charter.
“There is a charter and a set of founding conditions for this organization, and our assessments are ongoing,” Fidan said. “Our president will likely make a decision on this in a very short period of time.”
A Turkish presidential spokesperson posted on social media on Saturday that President Erdoğan had received an invitation from Trump a day earlier to “become a founding member” of the board.
The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October, but the charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
According to the charter, seen by Agence France-Presse, the Board of Peace will seek to promote stability, restore governance and secure lasting peace in conflict-affected or threatened regions, operating in accordance with international law. Member states will be invited by Trump and represented by their head of state or government.
Under the proposed structure, Trump will serve as chairman with broad authority over the organization’s agenda and internal structure. Member states will generally serve three-year terms, but countries contributing $1 billion within the first year will be exempt from the term limit, effectively securing permanent membership.
Each member state will have one vote, though decisions will require approval by the chairman, who will also cast a vote in the event of a tie.
Diplomats in several countries have expressed caution about the proposal, warning that it could undermine the role of the United Nations and existing international mechanisms for conflict resolution.
Dozens of countries, including China, India, Russia, Ukraine and Canada, have confirmed receiving invitations, according to AFP. Some governments have indicated a willingness to participate, while others have ruled out joining or rejected the idea of paying for permanent membership.