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Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Children, Equality and Social Inclusion Visited the US


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Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Children, Equality and Social Inclusion Visited the US

Business

Category: Government

The United States is Norway’s most important ally, a point that was illustrated when three members of the Norwegian government visited the U.S. capital last week.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende arrived in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday to participate in the World Bank Group Spring Meetings and to have bilateral meeting.  On the same day Minister of Finance Siv Jensen and Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion Solveig Horne traveled to Washington after attending meetings in New York.

The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Nordic-Baltic Constituency in the Development Committee during the World Bank Group Spring Meetings. He also participated in a high-level event concerning Ebola and had discussions with World Bank President Jim Young Kim, Chief Economist Kaushik Basu, Special Envoy for Climate Change Rachel Kyte, and ministers from several countries.

While in Washington, Brende also met with American government officials, members of Congress and representatives of think tanks. The meetings confirmed the broad and productive bilateral cooperation between Norway and the United States and the willingness to further develop this cooperation. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Brende discussed the Iran negotiations, the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Foreign Minister also met a number of American senators, discussing inter alia the United States’ upcoming chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

Minister of Finance Jensen gave a talk on the management of the Norwegian Petroleum wealth and the Government Pension Fund at Columbia University. While in Washington, D.C., she attended the IMF Spring Meeting, where topics such as the global economic outlook and the economic situation in Ukraine and Greece were discussed. She also met with President Obama’s economic adviser, Dr. Jason Furman, in the White House.

The Ministry of Children, Education and Social Inclusion met with American authorities and think tank representatives to discuss immigration, the integration of refugees and immigrants, and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers.

Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington

Published: March 28, 2024