PM Støre to discuss Ukraine crisis with Macron

The tense situation in Eastern Europe will be a topic when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (AP) meets President Emmanuel Macron at a summit in Brest, France.

“I look forward to meeting President Macron,” Støre said.

On Friday, he will meet the French president for the first time as prime minister. The meeting takes place at the “One Ocean” summit in Brest in northwestern France, where a number of other heads of state and government from different corners of the world will also be present, including US climate envoy John Kerry.

Rising tensions

The meeting is taking place at a time when tensions are rising between the West and Russia as a result of Russia’s build-up of forces on the border with Ukraine.

In the last week, Macron has been engaging in diplomacy in the hope of stabilizing the situation. On Monday, he was in Moscow to talk face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then traveled to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“President Macron has just traveled to Moscow and Kyiv, and we will discuss the very serious situation in and around Ukraine. We have a strong common desire to resolve this conflict peacefully,” Støre said. 

Climate crisis

In addition to the security situation in Europe, climate will also be an important issue when the two heads of state meet on Friday.

“There are close ties between France and Norway. We will also talk about the EU’s green plan and how our two countries can contribute to achieving the climate goals and developing new, green industry,” Støre said.

The EU has a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Last summer, it presented a comprehensive climate package called “Fit for 55”, with proposals for achieving this.

Several of the proposals have provoked reactions in Norway, including Norwegian industry and the Center Party have warned against introducing a separate climate tariff. The Labor Party, for its part, has been positive about the EU’s large-scale climate plan.

Ocean Panel

However, the seas are central to the summit in Brest, which ends on Friday. The goal is for the participating nations to come up with measures that can protect marine life from climate change and pollution.

France is the organizer by virtue of holding the presidency of the EU.

Last year, Støre took over the leadership of the international high-level panel for sustainable maritime economy, succeeding former Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H).

The Ocean Panel, which consists of sitting heads of state and government from 15 countries, has committed itself to the sustainable management of 100% of its sea and coastal areas by 2025.

Source : NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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