Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre

Prime Minister Gahr Støre,
Dear Jonas,

Welcome back to NATO Headquarters.
It's great to see you again.

Last time we met was at the Troll platform in the North Sea.
And that demonstrates the importance Norway is playing to help us reduce Europe's dependency on Russian gas.

It also demonstrates Norway's central role in strengthening our shared security, including energy security.

NATO is stepping up to better deter and respond to threats to critical infrastructure.
And we have increased our military presence in the North Sea in recent months.

Thank you, Prime Minister, for driving NATO's work on securing our critical undersea infrastructure.

It is important that we understand our vulnerabilities, and increase protection working with NATO Allies, our partners and also with the private sector.

Norway also plays a key role in helping our Alliance to understand and address challenges in the High North.

Including by hosting exercises such as Joint Viking, the largest drills in Europe's Arctic this year.

Norwegian forces also serve in our multinational battlegroup in Lithuania, helping to deter any aggression.

We just discussed Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.

I welcome Norway's significant financial, humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
This includes air defence systems, tanks, artillery ammunition and training for Ukrainian soldiers.

We must continue to provide Ukraine with what they need to prevail, for as long as it takes.

Today we also discussed Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO.

I welcome that Türkiye and Hungary are ready to ratify Finland's membership of our Alliance.
And I hope that both will do so swiftly.

For me, it is a top priority to make sure that Sweden's accession is also ratified as soon as possible.

The accession of Finland and Sweden will make our Alliance stronger.
And demonstrate that NATO's door remains open.

So Prime Minister,
Thank you again for Norway's contributions to our shared security.
I look forward to continuing to work together with you.

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