EU, NATO leaders visit Norway's gas platform

By Ata Ufuk Seker and Selen Temizer

BRUSSELS (AA) - President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Troll A natural gas platform in Norway and called for increasing joint efforts for the security of Europe's energy infrastructure on Friday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, von der Leyen and Stoltenberg held a press conference on the country's largest gas platform, Troll A, off the coast of Norway.

Norway has been an "incredibly valuable" partner and friend of the EU in the last 12 months, von der Leyen said.

She noted that Russia is trying to blackmail Europe by cutting natural gas supplies and added that Norway has increased its gas production and helped the EU at a "critical time" by increasing its natural gas production from 78 billion cubic meters to 90 billion cubic meters.

For his part, Stoltenberg said that gas installations like Troll A are "vital to our economies, our industries, but also to our safety."

Store also said that 40% of the natural gas supply to Europe has been met by his country.

Pointing out that there has been intense cooperation and contact between the EU Commission and Norway in the last one year, he said that his country aims to maintain the high level of supply for the next four to five years.