Latest news with #EspenBarthEide
LeMonde
13 hours ago
- LeMonde
At the heart of the Arctic, the 'Noah's Ark for plants' welcomes new seeds
The concrete triangle stands out against the snow-covered landscape. The mountain's silence is broken only by the comings and goings of tourists, who step out of their bus or taxi for a few minutes to photograph the mysterious structure. The small building, barely wider than its armored door, is neither a work of brutalist art nor a Hollywood movie set. It is the entrance to the global agricultural seed vault – the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – built in Norway's Arctic archipelago, 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole. Often dubbed the "Noah's Ark for plants," it preserves millions of seeds in case of catastrophe. "This place is one of the most important in the world," said Espen Barth Eide, Norway's foreign affairs minister. "If things go wrong, due to war, climate change, or a nuclear explosion, countries can come and retrieve their seeds and start from scratch." At the end of May, the Norwegian politician and his British counterpart, David Lammy, came to deposit two precious sealed boxes containing, inside aluminum envelopes, seeds of peas, carrots, lettuce and cabbage. From June 3 to 6, fourteen other countries also brought 11,000 samples: from Korean azuki beans to American rutabagas, Beninese fonio to Vietnamese rice. They were transported directly from Longyearbyen airport – the main city of Svalbard – which sits below the world reserve. The vault opens only three times a year. The rest of the time, the building remains closed, leaving the seeds in the polar cold and solitude.
Qatar Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Al Khulaifi meets officials on the sidelines of Oslo Forum for Peace
OSLO: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi has held separate meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway HE Espen Barth Eide; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic HE Asaad Al Shibani; Minister of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway HE Asmund Aukrust; State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Andreas Kravik; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye HE Burhanettin Duran; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran HE Dr Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and Commissioner for Human Rights in the Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Lubinets. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the annual Oslo Forum for Peace held in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. During the meetings, the parties reviewed bilateral cooperation and ways to support and enhance it, in addition to discussing a number of regional and international issues.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Czechia reacts to Ukrainian strike on Russian strategic aircraft
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, commenting on the attack on Russian strategic aircraft, has said that it is in Europe's interest to have a strong and well-armed Ukraine as an ally. Source: Lipavský on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: Lipavský noted that after the Ukrainian attack on Russian airfields, he expects Russian strategic aircraft to violate NATO airspace by 30% less. "It is confirmed that it is in our security interests to have a strong, stable and well-armed Ukraine as an ally," he added. Background: On 1 June, a series of strikes on Russian aircraft took place at at least four airfields in Russia. A Ukrainska Pravda source said this was a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine which resulted in the destruction of about 40 aircraft, including strategic bombers. A source also told Ukrainska Pravda that the special operation, codenamed Pavutyna (Spider's Web), had been in preparation for over a year and a half. As part of the operation, the special services first transported FPV drones to Russia and then mobile wooden crates in which the drones were hidden. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide reiterated Ukraine's right to defend itself following a series of drone strikes on Russian airfields on Sunday 1 June. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Norwegian foreign minister on strikes on Russian airfields: Ukraine has every right to respond
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has reiterated Ukraine's right to self-defence following a series of drone strikes on Russian airfields on Sunday 1 June. Source: NRK, a Norwegian public broadcasting company, as reported by European Pravda Details: Eide pointed out that it was Russia that launched the full-scale war in 2022. "Ukraine, of course, has every right to strike military facilities across the territory of Russia," he said. The foreign minister added that Ukraine is adhering to international law and targeting legitimate military sites, whereas Russia frequently strikes Ukrainian cities, causing destruction and killing civilians. He also noted that despite the fact that some Russian targets relatively close to Norway had been hit, there is no reason to believe that Norwegian security is under threat. Background: On the afternoon of 1 June, a series of strikes took place targeting Russia's Aerospace Forces at no fewer than four airfields. Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that the operation, which was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), had hit around 40 aircraft, particularly strategic bombers. A source in the SSU told Ukrainska Pravda that the special operation, codenamed Pavutyna (Spiderweb), had been in preparation for over 18 months. The plan involved smuggling first-person view drones into Russia, followed by mobile wooden crates in which the drones were concealed. "When the time was right, the roofs of the crates were opened remotely and the drones took off to strike the Russian bombers," the source said. News of the destruction of the Russian aircraft emerged on the eve of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations scheduled for 2 June in Istanbul. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Freeze frame! David Lammy snaps an Arctic selfie on taxpayer-funded trip
David Lammy posed for selfies on Wednesday – as he took a trip to the Arctic. The Foreign Secretary was on a taxpayer-funded visit studying measures to counter Russia 's actions in the High North. Mr Lammy boarded a boat with Norway's foreign minister Espen Barth Eide to view a melting glacier in Svalbard. He is on a three-day tour to Norway and Iceland, where he will look at the threat Vladimir Putin 's vessels pose to cables and infrastructure on the seabed. The UK is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the region, in a joint scheme with Iceland. Mr Lammy said that the Arctic was becoming 'an increasingly important frontier for geopolitical competition and trade' as melting sea ice opens up shipping routes and the potential to exploit oil, gas and mineral resources. He added: 'This is a region where Russia's shadow fleet operates, threatening critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK and Europe, and helping fund Russia's aggressive activity. 'It's more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters. 'That's why we have today announced new UK funding to work more closely with Iceland, using AI to bolster our ability to monitor and detect hostile state activity in the Arctic.' It comes after the Foreign Office said UK sanctions have hampered Putin's efforts to maintain his fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers operating in the Arctic. A floating repair dock destined for Russian service in the Arctic has been stranded in the Mediterranean after the tug boat meant to tow it was hit with sanctions earlier this month. The activities of the Russian navy's northern fleet of warships and the 'shadow fleet' of commercial vessels used to avoid sanctions on oil and gas exports are increasingly in the spotlight as the war in Ukraine drags on. Russia's icebreakers are seen as crucial assets to clear the routes used for the tankers of the 'shadow fleet' in the north. The sanctions imposed on the Vengery tug meant it was unable to tow a floating repair platform for the icebreakers from Istanbul to the Arctic. He is on a three-day tour to Norway and Iceland, and is pictured arriving at Ny-Alesund Research Station on the Norwegian island of Svalbard Meanwhile, the UK has committed £554,000 for the Alan Turing Institute, with Icelandic support, to explore how AI could improve monitoring capabilities and ability to detect possible hostile activity. During his visit this week, Mr Lammy became the first foreign secretary to travel to the Svalbard archipelago, deep inside the Arctic Circle, where British scientists are collaborating with counterparts from Norway and other nations to study the impact of climate change. The Foreign Office's global science tactical fund confirmed £400,000 to support UK scientific collaboration in the Arctic. In Iceland, Mr Lammy will visit Keflavik air base, where RAF jets have supported Nato air policing missions.
