That is why Norway does not need allied bases – VG
BRUSSELS (VG) The NATO summit on Thursday will establish new advanced bases in member countries bordering the east. But Norway does not need to change its base policy, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor).
– Some may become uneasy when NATO builds up in the east. But it is about having enough people in these countries to be safe. We will not have such bases, says Støre to VG.
NATO’s head of state and government is expected to confirm that the alliance is doubling its share of advanced bases. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland got their bases in 2018.
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Similar military units from several NATO countries will now also be established in Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria – at the request of the countries themselves.
Ever since NATO was established in 1949, changing Norwegian governments have complied with Norwegian base policy: Foreign soldiers should not be permanently stationed on Norwegian territory unless Norway was attacked or threatened with attack.
– Is Norwegian base policy under pressure now that Russia has attacked another neighboring country militarily?
– We have experience with Allied exercises that make us safe in Norway, that our allies know what it is like to train with us, says Støre.
– The co-operation agreement that we enter into with the USA and which the Minister of Defense will present to the Storting, clarifies how the USA behaves and trains in Norway. It strengthens our capacity for Allied reception, and we are now setting aside money to further strengthen it. It is a good starting point for Norway, says Støre.
Thus, Norway can continue its line above Russia along two tracks: deterrence and reassurance, he adds.
Could have been press
Minister of Defense Odd Roger Enoksen confirms this, and says:
– The agreement is more or less a prerequisite for our base policy. It facilitates that American forces can easily come in and strengthen our defenses.
Without that agreement, the pressure to have permanent forces on Norwegian soil would probably be even greater, Enoksen adds.
Defense agreement with the United States was entered into by the Solberg government in the spring of 2021, but will be presented to the Storting for approval this spring.
The agreement allows the United States to create so-called agreed areas for military purposes at fire sites: Rygge, Sola, Evenes and Ramsund. Russia then reacted strongly to the agreement and believed that it militarized Norway.
Demonstrate broad consensus
Together with Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor Party), Støre and Enoksen will attend NATO’s extraordinary summit in Brussels on Thursday.
– What is the most important thing for Norway at this meeting?
– The first is that NATO can demonstrate broad agreement, and that NATO provides a credible confirmation to all allies about security. Then it is important that the NATO countries can mark support for Ukraine, says the Prime Minister.
– How will NATO change after Russia’s attack on Ukraine?
– What has happened in Ukraine has confirmed that an alliance with democracies is relevant and adapted to the times we live in, and that it is able to respond to such changes. Countries that are so different, from Turkey to Iceland, from Norway to Portugal, manage to find a way together.
– NATO must continue to provide security for all allies. The disappointing thing is that it became necessary, says Støre to VG on his way to Brussels on Wednesday night.
Confidence building
But he adds that NATO will also be important in the future as a political alliance, and not just militarily:
– After this war, because it must end once, and if there are new political winds in Russia, then NATO must again take confidence-building measures, in disarmament, and in security for neighboring countries in relation to each other. This is not the core of NATO’s activities, but neither is it something that NATO can push aside, says Støre.