Norway declines to join or fund Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’, citing need for clarity on UN links and commitments, despite shared peace goals.
OSLO: Norway will not join the “Board of Peace” initiative proposed by US President Donald Trump.
State Secretary Kristoffer Thoner said the American proposal raises a number of questions requiring further dialogue.
“Norway will therefore not join the proposed arrangements for the Board of Peace, and will therefore not attend a signing ceremony in Davos,” Thoner stated.
He added that Norway would continue its close cooperation with the United States.
The government said it needed clarity on how the proposal links to established structures like the UN and Norway’s international commitments.
Thoner noted that Norway shared Trump’s goal of lasting peace in Ukraine, Gaza and other conflict situations.
Trump’s board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter does not limit its role to the Palestinian territory.
The US administration has asked countries to pay up to USD 1 billion for a permanent spot on the board, with Trump serving as chairman.
Trump has repeatedly said he believes he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, which last year went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
In a recent message to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Trump said having been denied the prize he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace”.
Store responded by clarifying that the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee, not the Norwegian government.