Madame Chair,
Norway fully aligns with the EU statement. Allow me however to make a few remarks in my national capacity.
Let me begin by expressing our sincere appreciation to Ambassador Fatène Benhabylès-Foeth for the strong and successful leadership of the FSC during this trimester. The French Chair’s selection of topics for the Security Dialogues reflected a well-considered and timely agenda.
We are also grateful to France for ensuring that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine remained on top of the agenda. This forum should be a platform for holding Russia accountable for its continuous attacks against Ukrainian civilian areas and vital energy infrastructure. By repeatedly targeting power facilities, Russia might have thought they could break the Ukrainian population through widespread blackouts.
On the contrary, the Ukrainian people have showed remarkable resilience, innovation capacity and determination in the face of these brutal attacks.
We have a lot to learn from Ukraine. This is why, when Norway presents its new long-term defence plan this coming Friday, lessons learned from Ukraine will be reflected in it.
Dear Fatène,
We sincerely thank you and your team for your commitments to this Forum over the last trimester. We also extend our appreciation to the work of Finland as it concludes its role in the troika. We warmly welcome the incoming Chairpersonship of Georgia, and the United Kingdom as the newest member of the troika. We remain confident that this Forum will continue to fulfil its core role of fostering dialogue and confidence building, despite today’s difficult geopolitical climate.
Norway stands ready to provide its full support.
Thank you,
Madame Chair.