Norwegian minister calls for stronger cooperation with Britain

Norwegian Minister of Defense Ine Eriksen Soreide on Thursday called for a stronger relationship between Norway and Britain by cooperating in, among other things, maritime air surveillance.

"We have big sea areas in the North Atlantic where we share common interests in keeping track of the activity over there," she said.

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon visited Bodo, a town in the northern part of Norway, and the operational headquarters of the Norwegian armed forces on Thursday in order to discuss the Norwegian-British defense cooperation.

"Every year, British forces train and exercise in Norway in order to train themselves in operations under winter conditions. Today, we signed a bilateral agreement that paves the way for even more joint training between Norwegian and British forces," Soreide said.

The government's statement said there are several thousands days and nights spent outside by British soldiers on Norwegian ground annually.

In addition to this, Norway's navy and air forces train with British forces to learn from each other and pave the way for even closer operational cooperation. Endit