Norwegian parliament agrees on 'historic' defence budget

Police officers park in front of the Norwegian Parliament building in Oslo. Britta Pedersen/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

The Norwegian parliament unanimously agreed on plans to drastically increase its defence budget over the next 12 years, the government announced on Tuesday.

The plan provides an additional 600 billion Norwegian kroner ($56.9 billion) over the next twelve years to strengthen the country's military.

The parties have also agreed to an increase of 11 billion kroner, bringing the total spending to 611 billion kroner.

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called the parliament's changes to the defence plan "historic."

"This is an important signal to our allies and others that Norway is united in strengthening its defence," Støre said.

He added that it is the first time all parties in parliament have agreed on a plan to strengthen the defence forces.

Originally, the government proposed the acquisition of five new submarines in April, but parliament added an additional submarine and a long-range air defence system.

Norway aims to spend about 3% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2036, exceeding the NATO's current target of at least 2%. The new defence plan is set to be approved on June 11.

NATO member Norway borders Russia in the Arctic Circle and the Kremlin's two-year attack on Ukraine has spooked the Scandinavian country.