Jonas Gahr Støre (Prime Minister of Norway) Biography

August 25, 1960, is when Jonas Gahr Støre was born. He has three children with Marit Slagsvold, his spouse. From 1979 to 1981, Mr. Støre trained as a naval officer at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy in Bergen. From 1981 to 1985, he pursued a degree in political science with a focus on social economics and history at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris in France.

In 1989, Mr Støre was employed as Special Adviser at the Office of the Prime Minister, and in 1995, he was appointed Director General of the Department of International Affairs. He worked under Gro Harlem Brundtland as the World Health Organization’s Chief of Staff from 1998 to 2000.

In Jens Stoltenberg’s second cabinet, Jonas Gahr Støre served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2012 and as Minister of Health and Care Services until the 2013 government transition. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2001, he served as the Prime Minister’s Office’s Chief of Staff and State Secretary. In addition, he has held several additional high-level roles in the public sector and in humanitarian organizations. From 2003 to 2005, he was the Secretary General of the Norwegian Red Cross.

Mr. Støre has been a member of the Storting for Oslo since 2009 and was appointed Leader of the Labour Party in 2014. He has held positions on the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, and the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre took office on October 14, 2021.

Jonas Gahr Støre Biography

Name	Jonas Gahr Støre
Real Name	Jonas Gahr Støre
Birthday	25 August 1960
Age	63 Years (as of 2024)
Gender	Male
Nationality	Norwegian
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Virgo
Born In	Oslo, Norway
Hometown	Oslo, Norway
Famous As	Prime Minister of Norway
Profession	Politician
Political Party	Labour Party (since 1995)
Other political affiliations	Conservative Party (before 1989)
Father	Ulf jonas Støre
Mother	Unni Gahr
Siblings	Unni Catherine Gahr Støre Bonde Carin Elisabeth Gahr Støre
Spouse(s)	Marit Slagsvold
Children	(3) Vetle Støre (Boy)

Educational Qualifications

School	Berg School in Oslo
College	Paris Institute of Political Studies

Physical Stats & More

Height	170 cm (in feet inches- 5′ 7′′)
Weight	71 kg (in pounds- 156 lbs)
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	White

Prime minister – Norway Net Worth

Jonas Gahr Støre (Prime minister – Norway) earns a salary of ₹1,49,94,012.00 per year.

• Annual: ₹1,49,94,012.00
• Monthly: ₹12,49,501.00
• Weekly: ₹2,88,346.38
• Daily: ₹57,669.28

Background

Family

Son of affluent ship broker Ulf Jonas Støre (1925–2017) and librarian Unni Gahr (1931–2021), Støre was born in Oslo. He was raised in Oslo’s West End in the Ris neighborhood. Støre is a multimillionaire, estimated to be worth NOK 60,000,000 (about $7,100,000 in US dollars in 2016). He holds a sizable stake in the Femstø family business. Johannes Gahr, his maternal grandfather, sold the Norwegian company Jøtul in 1977, generating the majority of the family’s wealth.

Prominent businessman Jonas Henry Støre, the CEO and chairman of explosives producer Norsk Spraengstofindustri, was Støre’s paternal grandfather. The family was wealthy farmers in Trøndelag in the 19th century, and Støre’s great-grandfather Paul Edvart Støre was a deputy member of the Norwegian parliament and mayor of the Conservative Party from Levanger.

Støre is wed to Marit Slagsvold, a sociologist and clergy member in the Norwegian state Church. Their trio of sons went to the Oslo Waldorf School. Støre is a member of the state church and a self-professed Christian.

Early career

After completing his education at Berg School in Oslo, Støre trained to become a naval officer at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy. Later, he spent five years at Sciences Po in Paris studying political science.

For a brief while in 1986, Støre worked as a teaching fellow at Harvard Law School’s Harvard Negotiation Project. He collaborated with economist Petter Nore and sociologist Andreas Hompland on the Scenarier 2000 project while employed as a researcher at the Norwegian School of Management from 1986 to 1989.

Career in public administration

In 1988, Støre applied to work for the Conservative Party as a political counselor on international policy. After receiving the offer, he declined the position. Støre joined Gro Harlem Brundtland’s Prime Minister’s Office in 1989 as a special adviser. In 1995, after Brundtland’s mentorship, he joined the Labour Party and was appointed director-general (ekspedisjonssjef) in the Prime Minister’s Office. Under Gro Harlem Brundtland’s direction, he served as the World Health Organization’s executive director (Chief of Staff) starting in 1998.

Støre served as secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross from 2003 to 2005, and as executive chairman of the research tank ECON Analyse from 2002 to 2003.

Political career

Chief of staff

In the first Jens Stoltenberg ministry, Støre served as State Secretary and Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2000 to 2001. The government implemented the largest privatization program in Norwegian history, drawing inspiration from the New Labour agenda of the British Labour Party.

Foreign Minister

Støre was named foreign minister in Jens Stoltenberg’s cabinet following the 2005 legislative election, a role he held until 2012. Upon entering the government, he was seen as a member of a group of “West End executives” and Stoltenberg’s close associates, signifying a move to the right. Still, a number of surveys indicated that Støre was the Stoltenberg government’s most well-liked member. He did, however, face criticism in 2010 after he and the health minister, Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen, accepted pricey rugs from lawmakers in Afghanistan.

Støre expressed worry about the 2006 Lebanon War in 2006. Defending Israel’s response as “a dangerous escalation,” Støre described it as “totally unacceptable” and denounced Hezbollah’s attack on Israeli forces.

Store compared the G20 to the Congress of Vienna and denounced the group for “sorely lacking in legitimacy” for its reaction to the global financial crisis of 2007–2008.

Assassination attempts

Six individuals were murdered in the tragedy, including Norwegian journalist Carsten Thomassen, but Støre escaped unharmed. A Taliban official refuted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s assertion that Støre was the intended target of the strike. The day after the incident, Støre canceled the remaining portion of his trip to Afghanistan.

One of Anders Behring Breivik’s primary targets on July 22, 2011, was Støre.

Health Minister

As part of a cabinet reorganization, Jens Stoltenberg promoted Støre to the position of head of the Ministry of Health and Care Services on September 21, 2012. Espen Barth Eide took over as foreign minister in his place.

Member of Parliament

Støre was elected to represent Oslo in the Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament, in the 2009 general election. Since then, he has been re-elected.

As a parliamentarian, Støre proposed Maria Ressa, one of the two winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

Leader of the Labour Party

• He took over as Labour Party leader on June 14, 2014, after Jens Stoltenberg was named Secretary General of NATO. He rose to become the Opposition Leader as well. In the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election, Støre headed the party, but the red-green coalition was unable to secure the four seats required for a majority of 85 seats. His party came under fire for appearing to take the win for granted.
• Towards the end of 2017, a number of women made accusations against party deputy leader Trond Giske regarding his inappropriate behavior. After an internal debate about the situation, Støre initially claimed that Giske had not behaved in that manner. ….. On March 19, 2019, Bjørnar Skjaeran, Giske’s replacement, received a nomination. After Skjæran was nominated, Støre commended him and stated that he would be the unambiguous voice from the North.
• Støre guided the party into the parliamentary election of 2021 in Norway, whereupon the red-green coalition defeated the blue-blue coalition led by the then-prime minister Erna Solberg with 89 seats, securing a majority. On September 23, in Hurdal, pre-government talks got underway when the Centre Party expressed interest in cooperating with the Socialist Left Party. The Socialist Left Party left the negotiations on September 29, primarily due to differences in positions on welfare and petroleum. Although he had hoped for a better result, Støre expressed sadness and stated he accepted the party’s choice.
• Later that same day, talks of a government were started by the Labour Party and the Centre Party. Støre and Vedum declared on October 8 that they were prepared to form a government on October 14 and that the platform for the new administration would be revealed on October 13. Following the Labour Party’s nomination of Eva Kristin Hansen for Storting President, Støre made the proposal in the Storting on October 9 and the confirmation vote took place via written ballot. With 160 votes in favor and 8 against, Hansen was confirmed.

Prime Minister (2021–present)

Støre was appointed prime minister on 14 October 2021, following his party’s victory in the parliamentary election held in September. He formed a minority government, with the Labour Party and Centre Party.

Domestic policy

• On October 18, Støre declared his government’s ascension, restating the main points of the platform. These comprised the following: “to combat social dumping and carry out a major clean-up in Norwegian working life to secure permanent, full-time positions with Norwegian pay and working conditions”; “to limit hiring; to remove general access to temporary hiring; to combat work-related crime; and to stop the release of the taxi industry.” Speaking about industrial policy, Støre declared that the state would take part in a green industry initiative to help start up new industries and added that “to succeed, we must ensure that Norwegian natural resources, including reasonably renewable energy, remain a competitive advantage for Norwegian industry”.
• In terms of regional policy, Støre stated that should the county council choose to do so, the government would present a case to the Storting to split Troms and Finnmark once more, as well as to do the same for Viken. In terms of transportation, Støre reiterated the pledge of free ferries between islands and settlements without a road connection to the mainland, adding that “the prices on national and county road ferries shall be halved during the four-year period”. This also applied to ferry links with fewer than 100,000 passengers each year. Additionally, Støre declared that his government will take action to lower the higher electricity rates, and he gave the impression that this action could be taken quickly.
  
• A week after taking government, Støre supported raising the sales tax on more expensive electric vehicles in a parliamentary session. He mentioned building more charging stations with the money raised. He went on to say that his administration would start talking to the European Union about stepping up their collaboration to meet the climate targets. In response to a recent rise in hospital admissions, Erna Solberg, the leader of the Conservative Party, also urged Støre to elucidate his government’s approach on combating COVID-19. In response, Støre stated that his government was monitoring the COVID-19 issue and would notify the public and the Storting if needed.
• He additionally noted: “Something must have happened since Thursday until today that gives cause for concern when one now wants a briefing from the Prime Minister in the Storting.” Additionally, he stated that no communications had been received by the government from health authorities that would raise serious concerns.
• On 3 November, in preparation for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Støre announced that his government would be increasing the climate goal from 50% to 55%. His environment minister, Espen Barth Eide, added that this change would include every sector and climate gases.
• In early December, controversy arose when it was announced that Kristoffer Thoner would be appointed as an advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office. The issue was Thoner’s previous experience from McKinsey & Company where his customer lists were confidential. Despite this, Støre expressed confidence in Thoner. McKinsey would later declassify Thoner’s customer lists at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Støre was asked at his first question time of 2023 in the Stortinget about Minister for Higher Education Ola Borten Moe’s criticism of his own government’s energy investment in hydrogen. Støre responded by saying that Borten Moe was simply wrong. Talking to the newspaper Aftenposten afterwards he added that in a [«imagined»] world with no challenges from climate change, it wouldn’t have been necessary to bring hydrogen into the energy mix.
• Støre and his ministers, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Terje Aasland, announced on 15 February that the electricity support scheme would be expanded until 2024. Other changes also included an hourly based calculation rather than monthly, and an increase from 70 to 90% per kilowatt hour, including during the summer months.
• On 2 March, after his energy minister apologised on behalf of the government to the Sami people for human rights violations with wind farms placed at Fosen in Trøndelag, Støre also expressed his apology.
• A week after the Fosen protests ended, Støre visited the Sámi Parliament of Norway and held a speech to the assembly. He talked about combating harassment against Sami people and pledged that his government would follow up on the ruling for Fosen. The youth league of the Norwegian Sámi Association warned that protests would resume unless the government saw to handle the issue, with their leader, Elle Nystad, stating that it would serve as a reminder that an apology isn’t sufficient unless the case is followed up on.
• On 28 March, Støre and his government announced that they would be lowering the basic interest tax for aquaculture to 35%, which will come into force from 1 January 2024.
• In August, Støre and his government announced that they would allow electrification of the Melkøya power development plant, which would ensure that it could stay operational until 2040. Støre further argued that the measure would cut emissions by 850 000 tons.
• In September, he and higher education minister Sandra Borch announced that the government would invest 1 billion NOK in research of artificial intelligence and digital technology. The investment was praised by both AI researchers and the opposition.

Foreign policy

Early in 2022, Støre and his government declared that they would send observers to a summit in Vienna concerning a nuclear prohibition. Norway would be the only nation in NATO to take this action. ICAN Norway, whose coordinator Tove Widskjold stated that Norway will convey crucial messages to allied countries that nuclear weapons are unacceptable, applauded the initiative particularly. “The Conservatives are very skeptical of this,” stated Trond Helleland, the parliamentary leader of the Conservative Party, regarding the action. Regarding this deal, Norway shouldn’t be left in isolation within NATO.

I’m assuming that the newly elected administration wants to demonstrate its support for the NATO membership obligations.” Støre replied, “No,” when asked if they had a problem explaining themselves. As an observer, you listen in on the conversations occurring in one of the forums dedicated to disarmament. Norway has a wealth of expertise spearheading nuclear disarmament.

Eastern Europe

On October 26, 2021, Støre had a meeting with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. According to Støre, they had discussed how to carry on with the partnership in the north. He added that in order to prevent tensions in the UN Security Council, they had decided to stay in close communication and cooperate.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that it would rename the nation from Hviterussland to Belarus on May 29, 2022, in observance of global support for Belarus. “We believe it is right to change the use of the name, in solidarity with the Belarusian democracy movement,” Støre stated in response to the decision.

Støre did not discount Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s request to have Norwegian fighter jets stationed there during a state visit in February 2023. Støre added that other NATO nations with troops stationed in Lithuania would need to be consulted about a potential deployment.

During a visit to Norwegian troops in Lithuania in July, Støre and defense minister Bjørn Arild Gram declared that their presence will be extended by one year, until 2024.

Other Nordic countries

On November 3, 2021, Støre stated during a Nordic Council meeting in Copenhagen that he intended to mend relations with Sweden after the COVID-19 pandemic, but he also supported the previous government’s decision to seal the border during the epidemic. The proposal was criticized by Christian Democrats and Moderate Party politicians in Sweden, who labeled it as “pandemic nationalism”. It was emphasized by Støre that infections might spread among individuals and manifest in a line of people. He added that closing borders was a difficult decision.

Støre described as “surprising” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s resistance to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. In his additional remarks, he referred to Erdogan’s assertion that “Scandinavia is like a guest house for terrorist organizations” as “completely baseless.”

In late June 2023, at his semi-annual speech, Støre denounced the burning of sacred books, flags, and the Quran, citing the recent burning of the latter in Sweden. Though he acknowledged that in the end, the courts and justice system will decide what expressions were under the purview of freedom of expression, he stated that he considered such acts to be hate crimes.

Africa

On 10 December 2021, Støre met with the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, digitally. Støre notably praised the country’s alert about the omicron variant, and their openness about it. He described Ramaphosa’s message in the meeting as “expressing solidarity and support” to countries without vaccine coverage. He also had a meeting with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, about the COVID-19 pandemic more generally.

Europe

Støre attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, where he gave a speech, saying: “The Petroleum Fund is the world’s largest state owned fund, invested worldwide. Our goal is to make it the leading fund in responsible investments and in managing climate risk”. He further said that the fund would base its ownership on investments from companies who commit themselves to net zero. He also stressed it was time to take the step forward.

Støre visited Berlin on 19 January 2022, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. They discussed energy cooperation and the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

Støre attended the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community in Prague, Czech Relublic, on 6 October, along with the leaders of 44 other countries.

Americas

Following the overruling of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States, Støre and several other Norwegian politicians, including culture minister Anette Trettebergstuen and Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg, criticised the decision. Støre stated: “This is a serious step backwards for women’s rights. ….. He said that decisions made in the United States would affect Europe and the rest of the world, while also calling for Norway to be on alert.

Political positions

Like his political mentors Gro Harlem Brundtland and Jens Stoltenberg, Støre is associated with the business-friendly right wing of the Labour Party.

Foreign policy

Middle East

Norway was among the first Western states to recognize the Hamas government while Støre served as Foreign Minister. In 2011 it became apparent that Støre had been in close touch with Hamas commander Khaled Meshaal. Kåre Willoch, the former prime minister of the Conservative Party, has also underlined the significance of communication with Hamas. Støre has praised Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse’s humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip, and he has written recommendations for their book Eyes in Gaza on the Gaza War, along with former Conservative Prime Minister Kåre Willoch. Støre stated that Gilbert and Fosse “have acted in accordance with the best medical traditions, namely by helping the oppressed” and “have shown great courage.”

Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land has been denounced by Støre as being against international law. Støre declared in 2015 that the State of Palestine would be recognized by a Labour Party government.

China

Geir Lundestad, the secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, chastised Støre in a 2015 BBC interview for allegedly trying to talk the Norwegian Nobel Committee out of giving the prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010 out of concern that it might damage Norway’s commercial ties with Beijing. Under the leadership of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland, the Nobel committee disregarded the cautions and gave Liu the medal. Støre then dismissed the possibility of expressing regret to China over the award.

Libya

Støre handled Norway’s involvement in the 2011 NATO-led military operation in Libya while serving as foreign minister. The far-left opposed Norway’s action, and the communist organization Red filed a police report accusing him of war crimes.

PM Modi meets Norway PM Jonas Gahr Store in Copenhagen, discusses future areas of cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store in Copenhagen on the sidelines of the 2nd India Nordic Summit. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the assumption of office by Prime Minister Store in October last year.

Both Prime Ministers reviewed the ongoing activities in bilateral relations and discussed future areas of cooperation. Prime Minister highlighted that Norway’s skills and India’s scope provided natural complementarities. Both leaders discussed the potential for deepening engagement in areas like Blue Economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, green shipping, fisheries, water management, rainwater harvesting, space cooperation, long-term Infrastructure investment, health, and culture.

The discussions also took place on regional and global developments. As members of United Nations Security Council, India and Norway have been engaging with each other in the UN on global issues of mutual interest.