Speech/statement |Date: 09/06/2026|Office of the Prime Minister ByPrime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre(Tallinn, Estonia) 'Norway supports your call for peace, and we are ready to contribute to any efforts aimed at reaching that goal. In the meantime, we will have to be steadfast in our support,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Thank you so much, Kristen (Michal), for hosting us. And we look forward to taking over this important cooperation. It has been well handled by Estonia. And today, we have discussed – first, a session on modern economy, on AI – and we have agreed that our digital mi…

Speech/statement |Date: 02/06/2026|Ministry of Culture and Equality ByMinister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery(World Expression Forum Lillehammer) We meet at a moment when the principles we care about the most – openness, truth, and democratic participation – are under extraordinary pressure. Around the world, civic space is shrinking. Public debate is increasingly shaped by manipulation and algorithms rather than dialogue. Theseareperilous times for our democracies. At such a time, few issues are more vital than the freedom to disagree. It is thefoundationof every open society, t…

Speech/statement |Date: 01/06/2026|Office of the Prime Minister ByPrime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre(Lillehammer) 'They must be more accountable for harmful manipulation and the protection of children. We need firmer regulatory approach,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Thank you for the invitation!It’s good to be in Lillehammer, a city of winter sports and literature, a centre for freedom of expression and democracy – in beautiful Gudbrandsdalen – and close to where Norwegian Nobel Laureate Sigrid Undset wrote her historical novels. – She was a strong Norwegian voice of expression – tou…

Speech/statement |Date: 31/05/2026|Ministry of Culture and Equality ByMinister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery(the Shanghai Theatre Academy) Dear students and faculty members. What a wonderful experience, listening to the readings of Jon Fosse. To hear how different it sounds, in your language and mine. The tone. The variations and repetitions. The melody of language, of sentences. What is it about Jon Fosse’s art that touches us so profoundly? How come he is played by actors – and staged by directors – all over the world? Is there something universal here? Something that resonates…

Speech/statement |Date: 30/05/2026|Ministry of Culture and Equality ByMinister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery(the Norwegian Residence Beijing) Leaders of Cultural Institutions. It is mysincerepleasure to be with you here in Beijing tonight, and to meet with such astronganddiversegroup of cultural institutions and professionals. Many of our guests today have beenkeyto bringing important Norwegian culture projects and collaborations to China. You have all playedimportantroles. You have staged and performed Norwegian productions. Brought Norwegian literature to Chinese readers. Mad…

Speech/statement |Date: 30/05/2026|Ministry of Culture and Equality ByMinister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery(The Beijing Library) It is such a pleasure to be here in China with you today. Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli and sign a renewed Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between our two nations. Cultural exchange has been at the forefront of this relationship, and we are now continuing this tradition. During my visit, I have had – and will continue to have – the opportunity to meet a wide range of cultural institut…

Speech/statement |Date: 29/05/2026|Office of the Prime Minister ByPrime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre 'I came back from Paris yesterday, after having witnessed the signing of the Narvik agreement between Norway and France. This is a continuation of what we call the hedging strategy of the Norwegian government in today's world's security environment,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. During World War Two, the Prime Minister's Office was out of these environments for five years. Now, this time, we were away for 15 years. – Since the bomb went off in 2011 and until we moved back into these ne…

Speech/statement |Date: 29/05/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs ByMinister of International Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust Speech at The Stefanus Prize ceremony by the Minister of International Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust. Dear Dr. Ja Seng Ing, dear all. The Stefanus Prize is awarded every second year to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief as a human right. Ja Seng, as a woman from a minority group, you have been fighting for freedom of religion or belief in a world where human rights are increasingly under pres…

News story |Date: 10/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joint statement from 22 countries on state threats relating to Iranian security services and the condemnation of recent Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) claimed-attacks across Europe. Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America condemn the lethal plotting and other malign actions in Europe, North America and Australia by Iran’s Islamic …

News story |Date: 10/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Ministry of Climate and Environment Norway voted in favor when the UN General Assembly on 20 May adopted a resolution welcoming the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on states’ obligations in the face of climate change. ‘The climate and nature crisis is the greatest shared challenge of our time. The crisis requires rapid, ambitious action and close international cooperation. We therefore welcome today’s clear decision in the UN General Assembly. The ICJ’s advisory opinion provides important clarification of states…

Press release |Date: 10/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs Today, around 150 mediators, parties to conflicts, and experts are gathering at this year’s Oslo Forum to discuss pathways out of today’s conflicts. Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide is hosting the peace mediation gathering, which Norway organizes together with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. Armed conflicts are spreading across the globe. Their impact extends far beyond the conflict zones themselves, through humanitarian crises, refugee flows, economic uncertainty, and increasing pressure on the international syste…

News story |Date: 09/06/2026|Last updated: 10/06/2026|Office of the Prime Minister Tuesday June 9th, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Kenyan President William Ruto for a working dinner. The official visit reaffirms the long-standing, close relationship between Norway and Kenya. ‘Kenya is an influential country in Africa and is an important partner for Norway, both in Africa and at the global level. Our cooperation with Kenya, which started as traditional development assistance, has now become a broad partnership encompassing areas ranging from business and trade to the pursuit of pea…

Press release |Date: 09/06/2026|Last updated: 10/06/2026|Office of the Prime Minister,Ministry of Defence The Norwegian Government will provide NOK 1.2 billion under the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine for the development and procurement of maritime drones for Ukraine in 2026. The funding will also include deliveries of uncrewed surface vessels from both the Norwegian and the Ukrainian industry. ‘Norway is a global leader in the maritime sector. I am pleased that our expertise can also be used to support Ukraine's fight for freedom. Ukraine uses maritime drones for reconnaissance and mi…

Press release |Date: 09/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Violence by settlers in Palestine has reached extreme levels. Palestinians are being killed and injured, homes and private property are being demolished, and entire communities are being destroyed. At the same time, the Israeli Government is actively facilitating a broad expansion of settlements in breach of international law and illegal Israeli control over the West Bank,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. On 28 May, the EU decided to impose sanctions on a further three Israeli individuals and four organisations o…

News story |Date: 09/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs In response to the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, we the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the United Kingdom, have taken coordinated action to introduce sanctions and other measures to hold extremist settlers accountable for the horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians. Extremist violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinians and abuse their human rights. They use violence to displace Palestinians, destroy property and perpetuate the …

News story |Date: 09/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs We, the signatories listed below, express our profound concern regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation that persists in Gaza. The aid entering Gaza has remained largely insufficient, both in quantity and in quality, while nearly the entire population depends on life-saving services. The recent decision by the Israeli High Court to reject the INGOs’ appeal regarding the registration law is deeply concerning. The registration law will affect and severely limit the INGO’s capacity to respond inside the Occupied Palestinian Terri…

News story |Date: 09/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs Read the Nordic Statement delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, H.E. Ms. Elina Valtonen, at the UN Security Council, 10166th meeting, Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine on 8 June 2026, in New York. I have the pleasure to speak today on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and my own country, Finland. Russia's decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine was one of the biggest strategic mistakes of the 21st century. It was also a blatant violation of international law a…

News story |Date: 08/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the countries and organizations of Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the United Nations (UN) on the occasion of the conclusion of the Quintet (AU, IGAD, LAS, EU, and UN) consultations with Sudanese political stakeholders in Addis Ababa from June 3-5, 2026 following …

News story |Date: 08/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Ministry of Education and Research A new research centre at the University of Oslo will provide more knowledge about international economics, trade and global developments. Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide today opened the Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE) at the University of Oslo. ‘The global economy is changing rapidly. War, geopolitical rivalry and trade turbulence creates uncertainty for small, open economies such as Norway. We need more up-to-date knowledge about how these changes affect …

News story |Date: 05/06/2026|Ministry of Foreign Affairs At today’s meeting of the EEA Joint Committee in Brussels, 55 legal acts were incorporated into the EEA Agreement. As usual, most of the legal acts were in the areas of food and animal feed, where the purpose is to protect people and animals against harmful substances. Legal acts were also incorporated in the areas of finance, statistics, chemicals, and transport, as well as legal acts setting environmental criteria for a range of products such as paint, furniture, shoes, and clothing. The EEA Council meeting was held in Brussels on …