Norway’s former prime minister and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is known for getting along with people, also the unpredictable Donald J Trump. During a week full of new provocation from the incoming US president, Stoltenberg tried to settle Norwegians’ nerves by stressing the need for dialogue, engagement and more investment in the defense industry.
Stoltenberg was a star attraction at an annual conference in Oslo this week hosted by Norway’s national employers’ organization NHO. He’s also been invited to Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC later this month, and told Oslo newspaper Aftenposten that he accepted the invitation because of the importance in keeping lines of communication open.
“I was invited and I think it’s important to engage the incoming president,” Stoltenberg said. “I remember we had a discussion in NATO in 2016 when Trump was elected the first time, and whether we should freeze our relations with the US, between Europe and the US, and just hope the situation would change in four years. Or whether we should engage, and we chose to engage.
“I believe in engaging and not isolating.”
There’s been no lack of fear and loathing since Trump won a second term last fall, after four years of a Democratic administration under the now-outgoing US President Joe Biden. Various business leaders at NHO’s conference told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) that they think Trump “has a screw loose,” is “out of control” and both “frightening” and “not normal.” Newspaper Dagsavisen editorialized that Trump is becoming an “imperialist” who’s threatening “the liberal, rules-based world order for which the US has been guarantor.”
Stoltenberg managed to tame Trump, though, often through pure flattery and catering to Trump’s ego, according to some Norwegian commentators. He also got along well with Biden, so well that Biden bestowed him with the highest US honour given to civilians earlier this year.
“I think it’s important to engage any American administration,” added Stoltenberg, who’s long been known as an unusually likeable guy with a talent for remembering names and faces and finding common ground with those he meets. The “engagement” he repeatedly refers to is especially important, Stoltenberg thinks, “when there’s disagreement, or when there’s doubt, or when there’s uncertainy.” Stoltenberg was such a popular secretary general at NATO that his term was extended twice, and he served for 10 full years.
Now he’s been tapped as head of the Munich Security Conference and he’ll need good relations with Washington there, too. He acknowledges that there’s “reason for worry, because we see that security policy and economy are much more intertwined than before.”
Stoltenberg also understands how and why Trump upset so many European leaders this week, when he seemed to make another grab for Greenland and wouldn’t rule out use of military- or economic pressure against its own NATO ally Denmark (of which Greenland has long been part) to do so. That sparked outrage throughout Scandinavia, the Nordic countries and much of the rest of Europe. It was viewed as unnecessarily provocative at a time when the EU, North America and not least NATO need to remain united after pulling together more than ever in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Political and business leaders in Norway now fear Trump may also try to gain control over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, which Norway administers under an international treaty. Trump, who’s been exhibiting what some call “radical nationalism” in the run-up to his inauguration, has also suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” and making Canada the US’ 51st state. “If Donald Trump can annex Greenland just because he wants to,” wrote Dagsavisen, “what stands in the way of Russia claiming Crimea, parts of Ukraine or the Baltics? Or that China takes over Taiwan?”
Denmark, meanwhile, is also one of Norway’s closest allies and neighbours in Scandinavia and the countries’ monarchies are closely related. Trump’s threats against two of the US’ own NATO allies have shocked many, while Stoltenberg remains calm amidst Trump’s recent provocations.
“Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he told Aftenposten. “Denmark and the US are allies. Denmark is an ally that has worked very closely with the Americans in many NATO operations. And it’s of course important that you respect allies and their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“I agree with Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Fredriksen, who says that she cannot conceive of or imagine such a situation (in which the US would take over Greenland),” Stoltenberg said. He doubts a real territorial conflict will erupt between Denmark and the US.
“He (Trump) has brought this up before, and it was handled,” Stoltenberg said. “I expect that Denmark and the US, Copenhagen and Washington, will have a dialogue about this that will avoid any difficult situation.” After a so-called “crisis meeting” Thursday night with the leaders of all of Denmark’s political parties, Fredriksen said they had prepared themselves for Trump’s looming inauguration and that “we expect and hope for a close and good cooperation with the incoming American president, like we’ve had with earlier presidents in the USA.” She also said Greenland’s officials, who currently have self-rule over the huge Arctic island with support from Denmark, “don’t want to be up for sale, and that’s an attitude we understand.”
Stoltenberg said he also understands that many people in Norway are worried about Trump and that business leaders “have a reason to be worried,” since security policy and economy are so connected. In remarks at NHO’s conference, he urged more investment in Norway’s already relatively large defense industry, and in companies involved in the transition to a more climate-friendly and emission-free society.
He was introduced at the conference as “Norway’s most important export during the past 10 years,” and he was clearly among friends. He acknowledged that there are many things to be worried about, with war in Europe, but stressed that Ukraine hasn’t fallen and Russia hasn’t succeeded. Russia’s ongoing aggression, he claimed, comes at “a very high price.”
Stoltenberg again stressed the importance of dialogue. He seemed confident that the new Trump administration “will listen to us, but we must also listen to them.” He noted that Trump was correct in demanding more defense investment by the US’ NATO partners, and in warning that Europe could become too dependent on Russian gas. Norway survived Trump’s first term and now intends to work closely with the EU to survive his second.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
