Prime Ministers Johnson and Støre discussed the war in Ukraine and the green transition
News story | Date: 13/05/2022 | Office of the Prime Minister
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street on Friday. This was the first bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers. They signed a joint declaration on strategic cooperation between Norway and the UK.
‘The UK is a good neighbour and a close ally. We have a long tradition of close cooperation. The UK is no longer part of the European Union, which makes our bilateral cooperation even more important,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Norway and the UK are close allies in NATO and, during the Cold Response exercise earlier this year, the UK announced a new defence strategy in the Arctic that will increase the number of ships, helicopters, and soldiers in the region.
‘We discussed our extensive cooperation in the area of security and defence. Norway is NATO’s eyes and ears in the north. It is crucial for us to maintain close cooperation with our most important allies on issues relating to the Arctic, particularly now that we have a war in Europe that has changed the security policy situation. And the UK is without question one of our closest allies,’ said Mr Støre.
The two heads of government also discussed the war in Ukraine and how it is affecting European and transatlantic security.
Earlier on Friday, the Norwegian Prime Minister organised a roundtable conference on the green transition, energy and business sector cooperation. Participants included UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng, as well as a number of representatives from the Norwegian and UK business communities. The green transition was also one of the topics of discussion during the meeting between the two prime ministers.
‘The transition to a greener economy is important for both our countries. I told my colleague about Norway’s ambitious plans for offshore wind power development, and this is just one of many areas where our two countries can collaborate more widely,’ said Mr Støre.
The two leaders signed a joint declaration to promote bilateral strategic cooperation between Norway and the UK. The declaration highlights the following focus areas for future cooperation: security and defence, climate change and environmental issues, research and innovation, and culture and education. The declaration also emphasises the importance of economic and investment cooperation and affirms the commitment of both countries to work jointly in international forums to address major global challenges.