The High North on the Agenda for Norwegian-Dutch Minister Meeting
Dutch soldiers winter training in Norway. (Photo: the Norwegian Armed Forces)
The Norwegian Army and Dutch forces are currently winter training in Troms, Northern Norway. "We have great mutual benefit of practicing and training together in the north," says Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram (Center) who will meet his Dutch counterpart for bilateral conversations in the north next week.
"Norway depends on NATO and tight cooperation with close allies for our own security. The Netherlands is one of our closest cooperation partners and we have great mutual benefit of practicing and training together in the north," says Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram (Center).
Next week, according to a press release by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, Gram and his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren will visit the Norwegian Army and Dutch forces that are winter training in Troms, Northern Norway.
The two ministers will also visit the Norwegian Joint Headquarters at Reitan in Northern Norway for briefings on the High North and bilateral conversations. On the agenda are Ukraine, the security situation in our immediate areas, and the defense cooperation between the Netherlands and Norway, among other things.
The Netherlands has hundreds of soldiers in Norway each year to train in challenging winter conditions in Norway.
Norway and the Netherlands have long had defense cooperation within the frames of NATO. The two countries are also part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a framework for close cooperation between like-minded northern European countries, where the cooperation is complementary to NATO cooperation. JEF is a flexible force that can be deployed quickly when needed and contribute in addition to or together with NATO.
Norway and the Netherlands also cooperate within the Northern Group together with ten other member countries. The Northern Group is led by the UK.
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This article was originally published in Norwegian and has been translated by Birgitte Annie Molid Martinussen.