ZAGREB, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Croatia will not join the Board of Peace launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I must say that the government's position is that Croatia would not join the Board of Peace at this time for a number of reasons," Plenkovic said, without elaborating.
The government made the decision on Tuesday, and Plenkovic said he communicated it to Croatian President Zoran Milanovic during a phone call prior to issuing the statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Milanovic, speaking during a visit to the University of Zagreb, called the Board of Peace "a serious precedent."
"This is a serious precedent because, beyond the United Nations, the mandate to resolve humanitarian crises is being transferred to a system and body outside the United Nations," Milanovic said.
U.S. President Donald Trump formally launched the so-called "Board of Peace" on Jan. 22 at a charter-signing ceremony during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Some major global powers and traditional U.S. allies have declined to join the board. ■