In serious crisis or war, Norway will relyheavily on Allied reinforcements. We welcome a somewhat increased Allied presence in the north. In the autumn we will host exercise Trident Juncture with 35 000 participants, the largest Allied exercise in Norway for years. These activities strengthen collective defence.
In view of Russia’s policies in the Ukraine, Norway has aligned herself closely with the EU-sanctions policy, and NATO’s suspension of practical military cooperation. At the same time we aim for a balanced approach. We have a long history of practical cooperation with Russia in the north, in areas like fisheries, and people-to-people. We continue to cooperate with Russia in certain areas, including the border guard, search and rescue, the Incidents at Sea-agreement, – and a hotline between Joint Operational Headquarters in Bodø and the Northern Fleet. This is our contribution to regional stability in the north.[…]
Another key issue is related to the new European Defence Fund. For Norway, it is important that we are invited to participate in the second part of this fund, – the European Defence Industrial Development Program (EDIDP). Our participation here would benefit all parties involved in this program, for a number of reasons:
Firstly, Norwegian defence industry is high-tech and internationally competitive, playing an important role in the European defence industry supply chain. Läs talet