Støre and Tusk signing documents.
Signing a declaration of strategic partnership. Credit: Ragnhild Simenstad / Statsministerens kontor

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Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, dear Donald,

Thank you for welcoming me here once again. We are proud to be a Partner Nation of the Warsaw Security Conference. I was very happy to see all these Norwegian flags at the conference today. We were present there together with representatives of my government, with representatives of businesses, dealing with security and defence issues.

The truth is, Mr. Prime Minister, that according to my calculations, there is no country with which Norway has become closer over the last 30 years than Poland. The world has changed over the last 30-40 years, but if we take into account the years from 1990 to 2026, I think we see integration and a lot of personal contact between people, and as you said, 400 companies are active in Poland.

We conduct high-level political exchanges and we are allies in NATO. I think that after the U.S., Norway is the country that has the most soldiers in Poland – because we work with you in the south. And yes, we were together there, at the place where the Ukrainian soldiers are trained.

In addition, we have been observing the F35s together, and we only work with countries with which there is trust. If there is anything missing in the world today, it is definitively trust. But we are also able to show how much we can do when trust exists. – And that is what exists between our countries.

And the declaration we signed today on strategic partnership is an excellent illustration of the extensive cooperation between our countries. There are more than 20 action points, ranging through all areas – security, economic cooperation, and contact between our open societies. It touches on security and defense, military mobility, preparedness and resilience, protection of critical infrastructure, energy security, support for Ukraine, and stronger support between our defense industries.

In addition to that, there is a general will to work together inside the frameworks where we are, both in NATO – and on the larger European scene – and you are right, Norway is not a member of the European Union, but we are integrated in the Internal market.

And I appreciate that when there are have been some conflict points, Poland has always been attentive to Norwegian views, which we really appreciate.

The Norway Grants through the EEA is a very special kind of cooperation. It differs from most other kind of schemes because it is based on ideas coming from civil society in Poland. And Poland is the main recipient. I think Poland receives about one quarter of all Norway Grants. And I've been listening to examples of that, ranging from cultural heritage, to green transition, to medical equipment. All that, I think, is a way of building resilient institutions in a way that also enhances cooperation between our countries.

We have more than 400 Norwegian companies active here in Poland, and I think there is more to come, more major investments to come, more jobs to be created, and that is good.

Then, we share also the fact that we border to Russia. Norway has 200 kilometers in the Arctic in the north. Finland has 1,300 kilometers, and Poland has, as you said, three complex borders. We have to approach all this with, I would say, historic experience and wisdom. We need to invest in our defense, in our deterrence, and we need to interpret what we have on the other side, in terms of Russia today and Russia in the future.

And I appreciate the exchange we have with Poland politically, but also militarily, to get the correct meaning of this situation. While Europe takes more responsibility for its defense, which is high time – and it is not because of a specific president in the U.S. – it is high time for Europe to take greater responsibility. And we need to invest in defense in a way which is coherent, not duplicating each other, but investing in ways that makes our regional defense strong.

And I have appreciated that you, in your government, have joined the Nordic-Baltic countries on several occasions to highlight that Poland has a Northern view, in addition to its other perspectives, so we can strengthen the regional security in our part of Europe.

A part of that, of course, is to support Ukraine. I think we see eye to eye on that. It is about supporting a country which has been victim of a brutal military attack. Ukraine is fighting for Ukraine. We are supporting that fight. Norway's contribution to Ukraine this year will be at a level of almost 8 billion euros. This is our approach also for 2027 and 70 % percent of that is supporting their defense, their air defense, their development of their own industry. It is all about Ukraine. But the whole purpose is about more than Ukraine; it is about upholding certain principles that make European countries’ borders safe. We have to respect borders, we have to reject the use of power to change borders, and we have to stand united on certain key principles.

Again, here I appreciate being partner with Poland and Partner Nation at the Warsaw Security Conference. We are proud to be a Partner Nation of the forum this year, and there are a lot of follow-ups from that. I'm accompanied here in Warsaw today by my Minister of Foreign Affairs, my Minister of Defense, and my Minister of Climate and Environment, and some key companies like Kongsberg and others, and they all have important work to do when we are here.

So, I would like to bring this back to, you know, the people dimension. – Because what has been remarkable during these some 30 years, is that there are people’s experiences that really give us the inspiration. You have your own experience from your years when you were young, in Norway, working in Norway. And I can remember – I would like to end on this note – I was Foreign Minister in 2012, and I was accompanying His Majesty the King to a state visit to Poland. And our King – he was a beloved monarch, he passed away in August – and I can remember that visit. We met with the Prime Minister of Poland at the time, who said – and this was His Majesty's recalling the event to me – that Norway is a good country for a Pole. And you spoke from your own experience. And I can testify as Prime Minister of Norway that we appreciate really this partnership – and that Gdansk meant a lot to many Norwegians – and I, in my view, took my own convictions. I think the struggle that grew out of Gdansk in the 1980s also helped shape my worldview. It is still there. And seeing that representatives from this community are still leading this country is something – for me – that just underlines the nature of our partnership. So, thank you very much.