Representing the delegation were head of delegation Sverre Myrli (Labour Party), vice head of delegation Erlend Wiborg (Progress Party), Trond Helleland (Conservative Party), Mona Nilsen (Labour Party), Tor Mikkel Wara (Progress Party), Bengt Fasteraune (Socialist Left Party) and Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll (Socialist Left Party). This was the delegation’s first NATO PA session since it was constituted after last autumn’s parliamentary election in Norway.

Three main focus areas

Discussions during the session were based on the need to strengthen transatlantic cooperation. Improved coordination within the defence industry, greater production capacity, and faster adoption of new technology were three ways in which NATO and the EU could work in tandem to achieve this aim.

At the same time, means to strengthen resilience against hybrid threats also came under the spotlight. Key questions were how NATO can protect its critical infrastructure, ensure energy security and supply lines, and reduce strategic dependencies.

Russia’s war against Ukraine was a recurring theme. Here, the focus was on maintaining long-term military, economic and political support, and increasing defence-industrial collaboration as a foundation for a just and lasting peace.

Chair of the Political Committee

Head of delegation Sverre Myrli chaired the meeting of the NATO PA’s Political Committee. Central among the items on the committee’s agenda was the security situation in the High North and the Arctic.

Sverre Myrli chaired the meetings of the NATO PA’s Political Committee. Here, he is seated next to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister,  Kęstutis Budrys. Photo: NATO PA

“The High North is gaining an ever greater strategic significance for the whole alliance. Russia has Increased its activities in the region and China is showing growing interest. These factors, combined with the importance of securing supply lines across the Atlantic, make it essential for NATO to strengthen its presence and collaboration in the region,” said Sverre Myrli.

Plenary session

The Spring Session was brought to a close on Monday with a plenary sitting. Among those who addressed the assembly were the President and Prime Minister of Lithuania, NATO’s Deputy Secretary General, and Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s Commissioner for Defence and Space. Norway’s head of delegation asked Mr Kubilius how European space policy could safeguard the interests of such close partners as Norway. He made reference to Andøya Spaceport and the need for a broader European approach to capacity utilization.

A recurring theme during the plenary session was the need to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence capability, with several joint declarations adopted on this issue.

Ukraine’s minister of defence, who participated digitally, stressed the necessity for continued support for his country.

Met Norwegian troops and the Ukrainian delegation

Before the start of the Spring Session, the Storting’s delegation visited the Norwegian forces in NATO’s Multinational Battlegroup during their exercise in Pabradé on 29^th May. It also met its Ukrainian counterparts, where the state of affairs in Ukraine and the need for continued support were two of the items on the agenda.

The Storting’s delegation met the delegation from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during the Spring Session. Photo: Storting