Spain calls EU Commission’s attendance at Board of Peace meeting 'mistake'

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Friday described the European Commission’s presence at US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace inaugural meeting in Washington as a “mistake,” according to Swiss Info, citing the Spanish news agency EFE.

​​Albares’ remarks were made at an event in Barcelona, after Trump convened the meeting of his newly established group on Thursday, bringing together representatives from more than 20 countries to discuss the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and broader international stabilization efforts.

Although the EU declined to join the initiative, it sent Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Suica to attend the portion of the meeting dedicated to Gaza.

"It pained me to see a European Union commissioner who shouldn't have been there," said Albares.

While respecting Trump's "effort," he argued that "there are other ways" to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Albares noted that the EU backs a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict and therefore “cannot participate” in any organization that excludes the Palestinian National Authority.

He explained that the Spanish government declined the invitation to participate because the Palestinians were not included and the peace plan devised by the US "raises serious doubts about its compatibility with international law."