The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre visited Israel 16-18 January 2010. During his visit he met with President Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Defence Ehud Barak, Minister of Intelligence Dan Meridor and the leader of Kadima, MK Tzipi Livni. The purpose of the visit was to discuss bilateral issues, regional issues of common concern, and the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
At the press conference after the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lieberman, Støre was happy to note that Norway and Israel, through the meetings he had during his stay, was able to take the bilateral relations further and forward.
“Norway and Israel have a deep-rooted friendship between our populations, between our governments. We have a number of issues of mutual interests that we need to discuss and tackle. And I think we are also able, in an open and transparent fashion, to deal with differences. There are differences, but they have been dealt with today, I think, in a professional and adequate way”, Støre said.
In addition to the ongoing political dialogue between Norway and Israel, there is an increase in cooperation in the field of culture, and there is a clear will from both countries to promote more cooperation in the field of research and development, paving the way for closer ties between Norwegian and Israeli companies.
Støre visited Israel as a part of a longer tour of the Middle East which also included Jordan, The Palestinian Territories, Abu Dhabi and Egypt.