Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg

President Obama will host Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway for a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, October 20.  The President met the Prime Minister in December 2009 and welcomes the opportunity to reciprocate the warm hospitality that both he and the First Lady received during that visit.  The United States and Norway are not only close NATO allies, but also partners who cooperate in a wide variety of endeavors all around the world.  The President looks forward to thanking the Prime Minister personally for Norway’s important contribution to the NATO mission in Libya and to consulting with him on issues of common interest, including Afghanistan, Middle East peace, the Arctic, global health, climate change, the famine in Somalia and support for the new democracies in North Africa.