‘We had a constructive meeting with US President Donald Trump, where we discussed a range of issues. The meeting reaffirmed not only how important the US is for Norway, but also how important Norway is for the US,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Finance Jens Stoltenberg met with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC on Thursday afternoon.
‘We had detailed discussions on Norway’s cooperation with the US in the area of defence and security, on the efforts to achieve a lasting, just peace in Ukraine, and on tariffs and trade relations between our two countries,’ said Prime Minister Støre.
‘The US has a vital role to play in safeguarding Norwegian security and is a key partner for Europe and Ukraine. We must all work to achieve a lasting, just peace in Ukraine. We must increase the pressure on Russia. As its neighbour, Norway has extensive experience of dealing with Russia, and President Trump was interested in hearing our insights,’ said Mr Støre.
Norway is in close contact with the US on tariffs and trade, and this was another key topic of discussion.
‘Norway has made its position clear: higher tariffs are bad news for the global economy and for a small, open economy like Norway’s. Norway has low tariffs on imports from the US, and trade with the US is balanced. This purpose of this meeting was not to negotiate tariffs, but we conveyed Norway’s views on the matter,’ said Minister of Finance Jens Stoltenberg.
The meeting also provided a good opportunity to highlight Norway’s important role as a partner to the US.
‘Norwegian companies are heavily invested in the US in many industrial areas, ranging from defence to fertiliser and aluminium. President Trump is seeking to bring more industrial production back to the US, and Norwegian stakeholders can play an important role in this context. Moreover, half of the assets in Norway’s sovereign wealth fund are invested in US companies,’ said Mr Støre.
Maintaining close contact with Norway’s most important ally, the US, at all levels including with the President, is one of the Government’s most important tasks.
‘There is a long tradition of close cooperation between our two countries. This year marks 200 years since the first Norwegians emigrated to the US. The US is important for Norway, and Norway is also important for the US – in terms of both security policy and the economy. Today’s meeting at the White House made this very clear,’ said Mr Støre.
( Press release)
