Norway and France to Boost Defense Cooperation

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attends a joint press statement after talks about strengthening security and defense in Europe, at Ministry of Defense in Berlin, Germany November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attends a joint press statement after talks about strengthening security and defense in Europe, at Ministry of Defense in Berlin, Germany November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
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Norway and France to Boost Defense Cooperation

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attends a joint press statement after talks about strengthening security and defense in Europe, at Ministry of Defense in Berlin, Germany November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attends a joint press statement after talks about strengthening security and defense in Europe, at Ministry of Defense in Berlin, Germany November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

Norway and France have signed a letter of intent to expand and strengthen their defense and security policy cooperation, the Norwegian defense ministry said on Thursday.

Norway's Defense Minister Bjoern Arild Gram and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met in Oslo to sign the agreement, Reuters reported.

The two countries plan enhanced cooperation on exercises and training in Norway and will work together to counter hybrid threats to critical infrastructure such as undersea cables and energy supply lines, the Norwegian ministry said in a statement.

The two ministers also discussed enhanced defense materiel cooperation, Norway said.



Student Detained in Slovakia after 2 People Fatally Stabbed at High School

Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
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Student Detained in Slovakia after 2 People Fatally Stabbed at High School

Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS
Police officers keep watch near a school following a knife attack in the town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, January 16, 2025. Adriana Hudecova/TASR via REUTERS

An 18-year-old student fatally stabbed two people at a high school in northern Slovakia on Thursday, authorities said.
One other person was in critical condition, the Slovak rescue service said. The stabbings took place in Spisska Stara Ves, a small town on the border with Poland that has a population of over 2,000 people.
The suspect initially fled, but police said that he was detained shortly after the attack.
Police said that the suspect attacked a teacher and two students. Further details weren't immediately available.
A 51-year-old deputy principal of the high school and a 18-year old student, both female, were killed, The Associated Press quoted the rescue service as saying.
President Peter Pellegrini called the attack “a real tragedy” and offered condolences along with Prime Minister Robert Fico to the relatives.
“No problem in the world can be solved with a knife or any other weapon,” Pellegrini said.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker traveled to the town.
Drucker said that he would work to take steps to prevent such attacks in the future and protect students and teachers.
Such attacks are rare in Slovakia. In 2020, a 22-year-old former student attacked a high school in the town of Vrutky, killing the deputy principal and wounding five people, including two students. In 2022, a high school student attacked and injured a female pupil at a high school in Novaky.