Last week, India stated that it was reviewing a proposal to join the board.
A week after the Ministry of External Affairs announced that it was reviewing the US invitation to join President Donald Trump’s Peace Board.
India participated as an observer country in the first meeting of the new organization on Thursday, represented by India’s Charge d’Affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Namgyal C. Khampa.
Last month, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump outlined the Peace Board, emphasizing that “everyone wants to be part of this institution,” which could eventually rival the United Nations.
The board was initially envisioned as an organization that would monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as play a role in the Strip’s reconstruction and governance. The US President’s ambitions for the board have since grown significantly.
Officials from nearly 50 countries participated in the meeting, held at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. Of these, 27 countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, are members of the board, while others, including India and the European Union, participated as observers.
After receiving the invitation to be part of the board, India did not comment on whether it would accept it and also abstained from its launch in Davos. Then, on February 12, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the proposal was under consideration.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “Regarding the Peace Board, we have received an invitation from the US government to join it. We are currently considering and reviewing the proposal.” He further stated that India has always supported efforts to promote peace in West Asia.
He had said, “Our Prime Minister has also welcomed all such initiatives that pave the way for long-term and sustainable peace in the entire region, including Gaza.
Therefore, regarding the invitation to join the Peace Board, we are currently reviewing it.”
However, the presence of the Charge d’Affaires at Thursday’s meeting made it clear that India is willing to join the Board, even if it is not yet ready to become a full member.
Outcome
At the meeting, Trump said that nine member countries – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait – have agreed to contribute a total of $7 billion for a relief package for Gaza. He also announced that the US is providing $10 billion for the Peace Board, but he did not specify what this money will be spent on.
International Security Force Commander Major General Jasper Jeffers said Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania have pledged to send thousands of troops to Gaza, while Egypt and Jordan have said they will train personnel.
Amid fears that Trump intends to use the board as a counterbalance to the UN Security Council, the US president said the country will “work with the UN again.”
He said, “We will bring them back. I think the UN has enormous potential, truly enormous potential. It hasn’t fully utilized its potential… One day I won’t be here.
The UN will be even stronger. The Peace Board will virtually oversee the UN and ensure it’s running properly.
“He added, “We’re going to strengthen the UN. We’re going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need financial assistance.
We will provide them with financial assistance, and we will ensure the UN continues to function smoothly.”
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