[…] Of course, United States brought a lot of military strength, but a country like Norway, a small country of, at that time, I think three million people or something, today we are five,. We brought proximity to the Soviet Union because in 1949, Norway was the only NATO ally bordering the Soviet Union. And we had the land border in the north with the Kola Peninsula and the sea border in the Barents Sea.
And as you may know, in the Kola Peninsula, we have the highest concentration of nuclear weapons in the world, missiles, strategic planes, aircraft and strategic submarines. And those nuclear weapons are not aimed at Norway. They’re aimed at the United States. So by having Norway as an ally so close to these weapons where Norwegian planes intercept the Russian strategic bombers, where we follow their missiles and track their submarines, we are making Norway safer, but also the United States safer. It’s a huge advantage for the United States to have a small country like Norway as an ally because we bring something that only Norway can bring, the presence in that part of the Arctic.
So my message is that yes, of course NATO, the transatlantic security bond is important for Europe, but it’s also important for the United States. And when I worked with President Trump in his first tenure when he was president, I was a Secretary General then, that was my main message that it is in the interest of the United States to keep the alliance strong, to have more than 30 friends and allies, that Russia, China doesn’t have anything like that. […]
I can talk about that in a moment, but let me first say that we not only escort US strategic planes, but perhaps more importantly we intercept Russian strategic planes. And we have a picture, it’s a beautiful picture, the ambassador has it, I think, it’s the first interception of a Russian strategic plane bomber up in the Arctic on the Barents Sea done by a F-35, a Norwegian F-35, which are excellent planes. And one of the things that make the F-35 so excellent is that they have technology and ability to share information in real time with. So this is actually, the unique thing with this one is that it’s a Norwegian F-35, the first time ever a F-35 intercepts a Russian bomber up there in the high up.
So we like to escort US planes, but even more important is to intercept the Russian planes. And we do this open in High North. And of course the High North is important, as you said, for strategic reasons. I had the privilege as NATO Secretary General to visit NORAD in the United States, but perhaps even more importantly in north of Canada. And we have the radars, we have, we have the sensors, we have all the systems to protect against Russian missiles because if you look at the globes not on the map, then you understand that the shortest way from Russia, route from Russia to the United States, not via Frankfurt airport or something, it’s over the North Pole.
So the High North, including the part of High North with Norway, it plays a key role, the Barents Sea, the Polar Sea, the Kola Peninsula up there, is essential for early warning protection of the North American continent. And therefore NATO and Norwegian presence is key again for all of us, so the security of all of us and we see China and Russia is increasing their presence and try also climate change, global warming, like it or dislike it, but the reality is that the ice is melting and it makes it easier to have different kinds of economic activity, but also major activity up at High North. Läs intervjun