U.S. to open northernmost diplomatic put up in Norway; solely mission above Arctic Circle

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The United States will quickly open a small diplomatic mission in Norway that might be its northernmost on the earth and solely such facility above the Arctic Circle, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduced Thursday.

The transfer, which Blinken introduced at a information convention in Oslo after attending a NATO international ministers assembly, comes as competitors over the excessive north’s assets with Russia intensifies.

Blinken mentioned the U.S. would open what is called an “American Presence Post” in Tromsoe, which sits 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The put up will open later this 12 months and be staffed by a single U.S. diplomat with the title of “consul.”

“We’re here to work with like-minded allies to advance our vision of a peaceful, stable and cooperative Arctic,” Blinken mentioned earlier than assembly Norway‘s international minister whose nation is making ready to imagine the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which is headquartered in Tromsoe.

Norway will take over the eight-nation grouping of nations that border the Arctic after two years of Russian management throughout which the bloc was largely ignored by different members on account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The State Department had maintained an workplace in Tromsoe till 1994 but it surely was shuttered in a re-alignment of diplomatic amenities after the top of the Cold War.

“The United States is a proud Arctic state and takes seriously our role as one of the region’s stewards,” U.S. Ambassador to Norway Marc Nathanson mentioned in an announcement.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt mentioned Norway and the U.S. share a “long and proud history” of collaboration on Arctic points.

“I welcome U.S. plans to establish a Presence Post in Tromsoe this year, which I am sure will further strengthen our close cooperation,” she mentioned.