Prime Minister Erna Solberg congratulates Jens Stoltenberg on appointment as NATO Secretary General

“I would like to congratulate Jens Stoltenberg on his appointment as Secretary General of NATO. In Jens Stoltenberg, NATO has found a strong, unifying Secretary General. Today, Jens Stoltenberg has been given an important task that carries a great deal of responsibility. I am confident that he will carry out this task to the benefit of all NATO countries. The Government looks forward to cooperating closely with him in his new role,” said Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

“Jens Stoltenberg is one of our leading politicians and he has been an excellent Prime Minister for Norway, during some of our country’s most difficult times. We have both been involved in Norwegian domestic politics for several decades, in recent years as party leaders, and I will miss his presence on the Norwegian political scene,” said Ms Solberg.

“Cooperation with our NATO Allies is the best possible security guarantee for Norway. Throughout its long history, NATO has proved its worth as a defence alliance and as the mainstay of Norway’s security policy. For Norway, it is encouraging to have a NATO Secretary General who is well-informed about the challenges in Norway’s neighbouring areas. This is particularly important given the current situation and the need to safeguard stability and security in Europe,” said Ms Solberg.

“NATO is an undisputed success. Having said this, we need to work together to modernise the Alliance and maintain the combined defence capabilities of the member countries. Norway is one of the countries that has invested substantially in NATO, and our engagement sends an unequivocal signal that we are willing to invest in our collective defence,” said Ms Solberg.

Ms Solberg also highlighted the close cooperation Norway has enjoyed with the current Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has further developed the Alliance during a critical period. Mr Stoltenberg is due to succeed Mr Fogh Rasmussen as Secretary General of NATO on 1 October 2014.