A Balkan country joins Trump's Council. List of states that have agreed to join the “Peace Council”
Albanian Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama accepted on Tuesday the invitation of US President Donald Trump to join the so-called “Peace Council”, an initiative proposed by Trump and addressed to around 60 other world leaders, including US allies and authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Aleksandr Lukashenko or Xi Jinping, reports the EFE agency.
The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
According to the head of the Albanian government, Albania will become one of the founding members of this body. “It is a privilege and an honor to express my full willingness to contribute to this important effort and to participate in a joint effort to translate a vision into action”Rama said on social media.
The prime minister added that the Republic of Albania strongly supports the United States in all efforts to promote peace, security and constructive global engagement.
Controversies and costs
Trump's proposed initiative has sparked controversy. More commentators see in “Council for Peace” a parallel body to the UN, intended to pursue the interests of the United States. In addition, countries that want a permanent seat must pay a $1 billion tax, according to the Charter advanced by Trump.
The European Union and France have expressed reservations about participation, citing possible violations of UN principles and its structure.
The role and powers of the board
The initiative's eight-page document underscores the need for a more agile and effective peace organization, criticizing “approaches and institutions that have failed too many times”, indirectly referring to the UN. The council's initial role would be to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, although the charter does not explicitly mention the Palestinian territory, assigning the council a broader role in resolving armed conflicts globally.
According to the Charter, Donald Trump will be the first president of the Peace Council, with expanded powers: only he will be able to invite or remove leaders, unless two-thirds of the member states object. Also, Trump will have the right to veto the voted decisions.
About 60 states were invited by Trump to be part of one “Council for Peace” proposed by the White House leader. Invitations of this kind were addressed both to US allies and authoritarian leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, or Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping.
Thus, Albania joins the other states that have already accepted the invitation of the American president: Hungary, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and Canada.
The European Union was also invited, but the European Commission expressed reservations about accepting the invitation. So did France, which conveyed through a source close to President Emmanuel Macron that, at least at the current stage, “does not intend to give a favorable answer” of this initiative what “raises major questions, especially regarding compliance with the principles and structure of the United Nations Organization, which should not be challenged in any case”.
