Helsinki, February 20 – Norway will not join what US President Donald Trump calls the "Board of Peace," the country's foreign ministry said.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" at the US Institute of Peace, Trump said the United States would contribute $10 billion to the initiative and claimed that Norway would host a board event, according to Xinhua news agency.
Ane Jorem, a spokesperson for Norway's foreign ministry, rejected the claim and reiterated that Norway would not become a board member, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) reported.
"Norway has clearly communicated that we will not become a member of the Board of Peace, and this position remains firm," Jorem was quoted as saying by NRK.
Jorem added that Norway plans to host a spring meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, an international mechanism that Norway has long chaired and which coordinates aid to Palestinians. The country is also in contact with relevant parties to discuss the Gaza peace plan during that meeting.
Norway is among several European countries, including France, Germany, and Britain, that have stayed out of the controversial board, which Trump formally launched on January 22 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, US President Trump is trying to position his Board of Peace as a super international organization that would oversee the UN while expanding its own scope beyond Gaza, for which it was initially set up.