Egypt’s El-Sisi accepts invite to join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

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Above, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani arrives to attend the EU Western Balkans summit ahead of the European Council in Brussels on December 17, 2025. (File/AFP)
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Updated 21 January 2026
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Egypt’s El-Sisi accepts invite to join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

  • Kosovo has been a close ally with the US which supported its independence from Serbia in 2008
  • Italy will not take part in Board of Peace initiative, daily Corriere della Sera reports

CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace.”

Egypt “announces its acceptance of the invitation and its commitment to fulfilling the relevant legal and constitutional procedures,” the statement said, praising Trump for his Middle East policies.

“Egypt expresses its support for the Board of Peace’s mission for the second phase of the comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza,” it added.

Kosovo said on Wednesday it had accepted an invitation ​from US President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace.”

“I am deeply honored by the President’s personal invitation to ‌represent the ‌Republic ‌of ⁠Kosovo ​as ‌a founding member of the Board of Peace, standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the ⁠pursuit of a safer ‌world,” Kosovo’s President Vjosa ‍Osmani ‍wrote on X.

“America ‍helped bring peace to Kosovo. Today, Kosovo stands firmly as America’s ally, ready to help carry that peace forward,” Osmani ⁠said.

Kosovo, a Balkan country of 1.6 million people, has been a close ally with the United States which supported its independence from Serbia in 2008.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Wednesday that he has agreed to join the Board of Peace in a departure from an earlier stance when his office criticized the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.

Italy won’t take part in US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, daily Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday, citing concern that joining such a group led by a single country’s leader would violate Italy’s constitution.

Trump’s plan has so far drawn cautious reactions from Western allies, as diplomats say it could undermine the work of the United Nations.

Norway and Sweden, meanwhile, said they would not be joining the board at this stage, following in the footsteps of France, which has expressed concern the board could seek to replace the United Nations as the mediator in global conflicts.


Iran to close parts of Hormuz Strait for 'safety' measures during drill: state TV

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Iran to close parts of Hormuz Strait for 'safety' measures during drill: state TV

TEHRAN: Iran will close parts of the strategic Strait of Hormuz for “safety” measures during military drills by its Revolutionary Guards, state TV reported on Tuesday.

“Parts of the Strait of Hormuz will be closed in order to respect the principles of safety and navigation,” said a state TV journalist reporting from a site near the drills, which began on Monday.

It was not clear how long the partial closure would last.