Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have joined US President Donald Trump at a formal signing ceremony for the new Charter of the Board of Peace, of which they are founding members.
Trump serves as the Board’s Chair.
The board was initially intended to oversee the administrative transition in Gaza from Hamas rule, but has since expanded its mission to ‘the development and dissemination of best practices capable of being applied by all nations and communities seeking peace’.
The signing ceremony of the charter took place within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
Aside from Armenia, the charter was signed by 20 states, including Belgium, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and Israel. According to Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA, Georgia was not invited to join the board.
According to Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera, the draft charter of the board was sent to about 60 countries, with the Trump administration calling for members to contribute $1 billion in cash each if they want permanent membership in the structure.
Later on Thursday, the Armenia Foreign Ministry told Armenpress that the country joined the board without the mandatory membership fee amounting $1 billion per year.
‘A country invited by the US President Donald Trump may join the board without a clearly defined membership fee for a period of up to three years. After the expiration of this period, participation is subject to review in accordance with the established procedure’, ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said.
It is unclear what the funds collected from the membership fee will be used for — when asked about the purpose of the money recently, Trump deflected.
Badalyan further noted that the membership fee ‘is voluntary and is applicable to the organisation if, within one year after the charter enters into force, a request for permanent membership is submitted’.
While in Davos, Pashinyan held several meetings, though, unlike Aliyev, he did not have a one-on-one meeting with Trump.
However, during the ceremony, both Pashinyan and Aliyev were seated next to Trump, while a video shared online shows Pashinyan chatting with Trump.
After Armenia revealed it had been invited to join the board, Aliyev shared a similar letter he had received from Trump, as well as his response.
‘This Board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it! Each Member State may designate an authorised representative to attend and participate in meetings on its behalf’, Trump said in his letter.
‘I believe that the Board of Peace will be an effective international organization and successfully deliver on its mission’, Aliyev said in response.
‘Please, accept my sincere appreciation for your visionary leadership and peace-building efforts, and best wishes of success in your capacity as the Chairman of the Board of Peace’.
It is unclear if Azerbaijan will pay the membership fee.
Will Russia join the board?
Russia was among the countries invited by Trump to join the board, however, the Kremlin is yet to announce its decision. Jumping ahead, Trump confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted his invitation.
In the meantime, Moscow and Washington have been engaged in negotiations. Prior to Thursday’s signing ceremony, Putin said during a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow that Russia was ready to allocate $1 billion to the Board of Peace, ‘first and foremost to support the Palestinian people’, from Russian assets frozen following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin noted that the issue would be discussed at a meeting with representatives of the US side on the same day.
Following the discussion, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the transfer of the mentioned sum would require the unblocking of Russian assets on American soil.
‘It is not yet clear how [the contribution] will be formalised legally, this all needs to be discussed’, Peskov said.
At the same time, earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to join the board, following which Trump threatened France with a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne.
In turn, European Council President António Costa voiced concerns regarding the board on Thursday.
‘We have serious doubts about a number of elements in the charter of the Board of Peace related to its scope, its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter’, Costa said.
Meanwhile, Costa expressed readiness to collaborate with the US ‘on the implementation of the comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, with a Board of Peace carrying out its mission as a transitional administration, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803’.
Yousef Bardouka
