NEWS ANALYSIS: While Sweden’s military continued to hunt this week for what many fear could be a Russian submarine in Swedish territorial waters, concerns are rising in Norway over military preparedness in the Arctic. Tensions are high on the eve of a meeting between Norway’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in Norway’s most northern county of Finnmark this […]
Russian jets signal ‘return to Arctic’
October 13, 2014
Norwegian fighter jets are now being dispatched weekly to identify and document close flying along Norway’s territorial border by Russian military aircraft. Some of the Russian jets appear to be armed, but a Russian spokesman claims they’re merely on exercises to protect their own borders. The flights started increasing earlier this year and now have become almost […]
Minister reacts to Russian ‘aggression’
October 1, 2014
Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide said on Wednesday that Norway’s conservative government has asked the chief of the country’s defense forces for a thorough re-evaluation of the military in light of Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine.” She thinks Europe has become more insecure following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in Ukraine. Norway’s former left-center government, […]
Stoltenberg makes his NATO debut
September 5, 2014
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was formally introduced as NATO’s next secretary general at the NATO Summit in Wales on Friday. As he received the applause of 28 government leaders including US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Norwegians could still glimpse the down-to-earth Labour leader they’ll always know simply as “Jens.” He told […]
Putin’s nationalism worries Solberg
September 4, 2014
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg adopted a tougher tone towards Russia as she arrived for the NATO summit meeting in Wales on Thursday. She’s worried about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nationalism and she’s not alone, as Russia’s recent aggression against Ukraine dominated the meeting’s agenda. Many, Solberg included, hope that her predecessor as prime minister […]
NATO an important arena for Norway
September 4, 2014
NEWS ANALYSIS: “This is the most important summit meeting of the alliance for a long time,” Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide declared as the NATO summit got underway in Wales on Thursday. She was referring to what her ministry calls “Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine,” and since Norway never joined the European Union (EU), its membership […]
Military heads for Latvia and Ukraine
September 4, 2014
Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide confirmed that Norway will be participating in a US-led military exercise in deeply troubled Ukraine later this month, and will send soldiers and tanks to Latvia. Meanwhile, a major NATO exercise was literally rolling into Norway this week. US President Barack Obama mentioned the upcoming exercise in Ukraine while he was in […]
Norway sends aid to Iraq and Ukraine
September 2, 2014
A Norwegian military transport flight took off from Oslo Tuesday, bound for Northern Iraq and filled with water filtration systems and other humanitarian aid. Norway also announced it would be sending emergency aid to Ukraine, to help ease more pain and suffering closer to home. The Norwegian government already had approved around NOK 50 million […]
Estonia’s president shortens state visit
September 2, 2014
Canons fired from the Akershus Fortress and helicopters whirred overhead as the president of Estonia arrived in Oslo Tuesday for a state visit. Tensions in Eastern Europe and an unexpected visit from the US president to Estonia, however, were cutting the festivities in Norway short. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves arrived in Oslo as scheduled on Tuesday […]
Brende to meet Lavrov in Norway
August 28, 2014
On the very day that alarming reports were emerging that Russian soldiers were invading Ukraine, the Norwegian government announced that Foreign Minister Børge Brende would be meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Norway in October. Russian officials denied an invasion was underway. Reports Thursday afternoon that Russian tanks were rolling into Ukraine, despite Russian President Vladimir […]
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