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Norwegian foreign minister: Norway is not sure about the benefits of building global missile defense system
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store in an interview with Interfax on Wednesday said Norway doubts the usefulness of deploying elements of U.S. NMD in Europe but does not think that the plans are directed against Russia.
As for the question of building a global missile defense system, Norway is not sure about the benefit of the project and has raised the question with NATO, he said. He felt that Russia should not regard these plans as a threat.
In his opinion, U.S. intentions to deploy NMD elements in the Czech Republic and Poland do not contradict Washington's commitments within the framework of Russia-NATO cooperation.
This is a question of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Poland and the United States and the Czech Republic that does not follow from NATO, Store said. The project is being implemented in conditions of full openness and Russia is receiving updated information, he said.
He agreed though that all aspects of missile defense should be included in the NATO agenda and regularly discussed.
Many member-countries of the alliance hold a positive attitude to U.S. plans of missile defense, while other countries are more critically minded, he said. Store also said Norway does not intend to take part in the possible establishment of OPEC-like gas cartel.
He said that Norway as an energy producer is interested in a good dialogue with both energy producers and consumers. It believes that this is the best way to guarantee sustained consumption of world energy resources and it does not intend to join the possible gas cartel, he said.
Speaking of the prospects of bilateral cooperation between Norway and Russia Store said that Oslo supports the intensification of contacts in developing oil and gas fields.
The outlook for expanded cooperation between Russia and Norway are especially promising in the spheres of developing major oil and gas reserves in Arctic areas, he said.
He reminded Interfax that the two countries have unresolved problems obstructing energy cooperation.
Store said that the division of the continental shelf and Barents Sea zones is a major unresolved question in relations between Norway and Russia.
He added that both sides pay priority significance to the issue and that there is a common willingness to try to find a solution in the nearest future.
The absence of a demarcation agreement does not influence the existing bilateral cooperation but such an agreement will open up possibilities to further strengthen cooperation and benefit the peoples in the two countries, he concluded.
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