Støre heads to Rovaniemi for Arctic security talks
Despite Norway not being an EU member, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has now been invited to join EU leaders at the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, northern Finland, on 13–14 September.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, uncertainty over the US president’s commitment to NATO and growing concerns over the impact of climate change are turning the Arctic into an increasingly important arena for European security.
Against this backdrop, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has invited a group of European leaders to Rovaniemi for talks on Arctic security.
The summit was originally expected to be attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Romanian President Nicușor Dan. European Council President António Costa and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas will also attend.
The Prime Minister’s Office in Oslo has now confirmed to the Barents Observer that Støre will also take part.
“Prime Minister Støre will attend the Arctic Security Summit in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi on Sunday, 13 September. He has been invited by the Finnish host, along with other European leaders,” State Secretary Bhanuja Rasiah said in an email.
This is the third year in a row that Orpo has brought European leaders together in Finland for security talks. Last year, the Eastern Flank Summit was held in Helsinki in December, while the North-South Summit on European security challenges took place in Saariselkä, Finnish Lapland, in December 2024.
“The European Union has direct interests in its stability, security and sustainable development. It is very valuable to be able to discuss these issues together with a comprehensive group of EU leaders,” Orpo said in a statement.
