U.S. opens northernmost diplomatic post in Norway

OSLO, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States has opened its northernmost diplomatic post in Tromso, a city situated north of the Arctic Circle in northern Norway.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Elizabeth Allen attended the opening ceremony held on Friday, together with Norwegian State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson and Tromso Mayor Gunnar Wilhelmsen.

"The Tromso American Presence Post will strengthen our collaboration with Norway on the climate crisis, people-to-people ties, trade, and security," the U.S. embassy in Oslo said on Facebook.

With a population of more than 77,000, Tromso is the largest city in northern Norway and the third most populous city north of the Arctic Circle.

The news of the event was broken to the press in June by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken when he was attending a two-day informal foreign ministers' meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Oslo.

The move is part of the U.S. administration's efforts to strengthen its presence in the Nordic Region and the Arctic Area.

During the Cold War, the U.S. had an office in Tromso, but it was closed in 1994. In October 2022, the Biden administration released a National Strategy for the Arctic Region, which articulates an agenda over the next 10 years.

The United States has its embassy in Oslo. Norway has its embassy in Washington D.C., along with consulates in New York and San Francisco. The Nordic country permanently closed its Consulate General in Houston in July.