Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Friday he had received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump inviting Albania to join a proposed international peace body linked to a U.S.-backed plan to end the Gaza conflict.
In a social media post, Rama shared the letter, dated Jan. 16, in which Trump thanked him for the trust placed in him and called on Albania to become a founding member of what he described as a new “Peace Board,” envisaged as an international organisation and transitional governing authority.
According to the letter, Trump said he had unveiled a 20-point comprehensive plan on Sept. 29, 2025, aimed at ending the Gaza conflict, adding that the initiative had received backing from world leaders, including from Arab states, Israel and Europe. He said the United Nations Security Council subsequently adopted Resolution 2803 in support of the plan on Nov. 17.
Trump wrote that the proposed Peace Board would be at the core of the initiative and would bring together a group of countries willing to take responsibility for building what he described as “permanent peace.” He formally invited Albania, represented by Rama, to join as a founding member and become a signatory to the board’s statute.
Rama, in his post, said it was an honour to share the letter and pledged to do everything possible to “uphold Albania’s name and the dignity of Albanians.” He did not say whether Albania had formally accepted the invitation.
Rama denies Albania will pay $1 billion or host Palestinians after Bloomberg report
Rama on Sunday rejected media reports suggesting Albania would pay 1 billion euros to join a proposed U.S.-backed Peace Board or host Palestinians, calling both claims false.
Rama was responding to a Bloomberg article that was widely shared in Albanian media following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had invited Albania to join a new international body linked to a global peace initiative.
In a post on X, Rama said it was untrue that Albania would be required to pay 1 billion euros to participate in the Peace Board and dismissed claims that Palestinians would be relocated to Albania.
“It is a lie that Albania will pay 1 billion euros. It is a lie that Palestinians will come to Albania,” Rama wrote, criticising what he described as exaggerated political and media reactions at home.
Rama said reports claiming that all United Nations member states had been invited to the Peace Board were also incorrect. He argued that domestic criticism reflected what he called an “old Albania,” contrasting it with what he described as a more internationally respected country that his government was seeking to build.
“For me personally, what matters is the trust of the majority of Albanians, who have elected me and kept me four times at the head of the Albanian state, and the respect of those at the top of Europe and the world,” Rama said.
Bloomberg did not immediately comment on Rama’s remarks. There was no immediate response from the White House regarding the reported cost or the structure of the proposed Peace Board.
Rama described the current debate as an extraordinary moment for Albania, adding that domestic criticism would not derail what he portrayed as the country’s growing international standing.