Norway and Iceland to discuss defence cooperation
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his Icelandic counterpart, Geir Haarde, have agreed that Norway and Iceland should begin talks on defence cooperation.
High level talks will open before Christmas, and the first meeting will be in Oslo.
This has been confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office.
Iceland's wish is that Norway's surveillance of the North Atlantic should be carried out in a way that would also benefit Iceland, after the US has ended its military presence on Iceland by withdrawing from the Keflavik air base.
The talks will also cover the possibility of Norway taking care of Iceland's needs for surveillance and military defence of Icelandic air space and economic zone.
The cooperation could also include the possibility of a joint purchase and operation of rescue helicopters, NRK reports.
