UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab visits Oslo

‘We had a very constructive meeting. Norway and the UK are close allies and trading partners. We collaborate closely in the international arena, for example in the UN Security Council,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.

The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed a number of international issues, and in particular cooperation in the UN Security Council, where Norway is serving as an elected member for a two-year period. The UK is a permanent member of the Council, and the two countries share similar views on a number of items on the Security Council agenda.

‘Today we have had fruitful discussions on the situation in Myanmar, Syria and the Middle East, as well as the nuclear deal with Iran. Both our countries seek to make climate change and security a higher priority on the Security Council agenda,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.

The UK and Norway are close allies in Nato, and the two foreign ministers took the opportunity to discuss the security-policy landscape both in and around Europe.

‘We are both interested in ensuring that Nato is developed in a way that best enables the Alliance to address the challenges we are facing,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.

During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement on cooperation on polar issues. The agreement gives priority to research cooperation in both the polar regions, and cultural heritage management on the island of South Georgia and in the Antarctic. The agreement reaffirms Norwegian and UK support for established international mechanisms, in particular under the Antarctic Treaty, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Arctic Council.

The two foreign ministers also took part in a video meeting with their Nordic counterparts. Topics discussed by Mr Raab and the Nordic ministers included Russia and the Alexei Navalny case, the global human rights situation, including Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and the UK’s preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The interests and values of the Nordic countries coincide with those of the UK in a wide array of areas.

‘Among other things, we share a growing concern about the steadily increasing infringement of human rights across the world,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.