US probably spied on Norway, too

Jonas Gahr Støre, shown here last year with former US  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when he was still Norway’s foreign minister, calls the US’ alleged spying on allies as “unacceptable” but doesn’t think it will stop. PHOTO: Siri H. Hollekim Haaland / Ambassaden i Washington

Jonas Gahr Støre, who served as Norway’s foreign minister for seven years in the former left-center government, says it would be be “naive” to believe that Norwegian politicians like himself have avoided being spied on by the US and other countries. Both Støre and new Prime Minister Erna Solberg, though, call such spying “completely unacceptable.”

As the US’ surveillance programs continued to scandalize Europe over the weekend, and set off a major diplomatic crisis between the US and its European allies, Støre told newspaper Dagsavisen that Norwegian leaders must expect they’ve been targets of surveillance as well. As a wealthy country rich in oil and other natural resources that shares a border with Russia, is a member of NATO but in the unique position of being outside the EU, Norway has long been seen as being of great strategic importance and interest despite its small population.