ANKARA, January 23. /TASS/. The number of countries participating in the Gaza Board of Peace may eventually be at 25-30, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the NTV television.
"At this point, the countries that joined the Board, are waiting for the Germany-related process to be completed. Certain countries have specifically requested additional time. I think that about six or seven countries will eventually join, and the number of participants will grow. In other words, the total number of participants may reach 25-30. At this point, there are 19 of us," he said.
Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was ready to join the Board of Peace, created by US President Donald Trump, but Berlin "cannot accept its governance structures" in their present form.
Fidan added that Turkey continues to coordinate its efforts on Palestine with other countries, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
"They are also a part of this group. It also includes some countries from Europe and Latin America. We will do our best to promote the Palestinian agenda. Of course, we should keep in mind that it’s not that simple. We are now at the stage when the conflict has been taken to the negotiating table. Countries with opposing views and agendas are gathering to promote their interests," the minister said.
On January 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the charter establishing the Board of Peace for Gaza peace efforts in a ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. More than 50 countries will join the Board of Peace, US President Donald Trump said. While the initiative was established based on an agreement between Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas to govern the enclave, it will handle the prevention and resolution of conflicts in other regions as well.