USA-NORWAY/KERRY-BRENDE Kerry and Brende praise U.S.-Norway relations

Record ID: 135315

  • Title: USA-NORWAY/KERRY-BRENDE Kerry and Brende praise U.S.-Norway relations
  • Date: 20th October 2015
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 20, 2015) (STATE DEPARTMENT TV) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY AND NORWAY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS BORGE BRENDE WALKING IN (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYING: "They are a NATO ally and partner of us but they are front and center on all of the critical issues of peace throughout the world. We are w
  • Embargoed: 4th November 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA85NSZVXFB99KCKLWYM4E26QLH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs Borge Brende met on Tuesday (October 20) at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
    The two leaders praised their nations collaboration on a variety of foreign policy issues including defusing the rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East and Russia intervention and airstrikes in Syria.
    Speaking of Norway the Secretary of State said, "We are working together on the counter-ISIL cooperation. They are in Iraq with us. They are also present and important to Afghanistan. They have been front and center with respect to Ukraine and holding the line in accountability."
    Foreign Affairs Minister Borge Brende said that he appreciated Kerry's leadership on issue ranging from Afghanistan to the issues in the Middle East.
    "We need your continued leadership to calming down things now in this very important conflict and also looking forward to really see a two state solution materialize. Then on Syria I'm looking forward to talking about how to deal with the Russians really stepping up their support for Assad possibly making this war longer.. As you know the refugee crisis and migration is the top of agenda in Europe," Borge said.
    Earlier this month at a conference to try to tamp down the violence between Israelis and Palestinians chaired by Norway, Kerry announced an additional $212 million in U.S. aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was badly damaged during a conflict with Israel in July and August in which 2,100 Palestinians died, most of them civilians.
    An estimated 18,000 homes and vital infrastructure were destroyed in the seven-week war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas.
    The Palestinians have put the cost of reconstruction at about $4 billion and Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende said the conference had secured $5.4 billion in aid, half of which would be used for rebuilding Gaza and the rest could go to other Palestinian areas.
  • Copyright Holder: STATE DEPARTMENT TV
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register