Brende has ‘good meeting’ with Rex Tillerson in Washington

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Foreign Minister, Børge Brende, is optimistic after meeting his US counterpart, Rex Tillerson in Washington.

‘This was a very good and substantive meeting’, said Brende to NTB news agency in Washington.

This week, he is in town to conduct a series of meetings, and Wednesday’s conversation with Tillerson was its highlight.

‘Tillerson was well prepared, and he knows Norway well. He stressed the importance of close cooperation between Norway and the United States’, said the Foreign Minister.

The two exchanged a few words during the G20 summit in Bonn more than a week ago, but this is the first time a member of the Norwegian Government has been invited to meet by a colleague within Washington’s new administration.

They talked thoroughly. The meeting took place a day after the president held his first speech in Congress. The speech has been widely praised for being unusually positive.

Trump himself has been praised for his quieter appearance, and he stressed that he will comply with international obligations.

The two men thoroughly addressed a range of international issues, said Brende about his meeting with the U.S. president his U.S. counterpart.

’We talked thoroughly about the Northern hemisphere and the Arctic. We also discussed a range of issues relating what to do with Russia.

We also talked about Syria, and briefly about Israel and Palestine’, said Brende.

The meeting between Brende and Tillerson happened because the Americans greatly appreciate their relationship with Norway, said Brende.

‘Tillerson said he was open to meeting Norway so early because of the very special and close relations between the countries.

He thanked us for what we
do in the North, and that we have shown willingness to participate in the coalition against the Islamic State (IS), said Brende.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today