A secretly arranged meeting in Finland on Wednesday between top US- and Russian defense officials was being viewed as “important” for Norway, too. The war on terrorism reportedly topped the agenda, and showed that there’s still room for cooperation between the two rivals.
Norwegian Broadcastng (NRK) carried extensive coverage of the meeting after it was over and made public. “Seen with Norwegian eyes, as a neighbour to Russia and with increased US military presence in the northern areas, what happend in Finland yesterday was important,” reported the state broadcaster.
The meeting was held at a mansion in the forests north of Helsinki. It involved the US’ and Russia’s defense chiefs, General Mark Milley and Valerij Gerasimov, who even posed for photos together when it was over. The meeting is believed to have been set up during a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva in June.
The goal of the meeting was to hinder military confrontations and draft the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August. Both the US and Russia have suffered terrorist attacks and it’s in both countries’ interests to continue to war on terrorism and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a base for terrorist organizations.
newsinenglish.no staff
