Norwegian PM to visit New Zealand, Antarctica

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will visit New Zealand and Antarctica next week, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Thursday.Stoltenberg would arrive in Christchurch on Sunday before traveling to Antarctica, said Key in a statementHe would return Friday next week to Auckland, where he and Key will hold a bilateral meeting."I am pleased to welcome Jens Stoltenberg to New Zealand. Though geographically distant, Norway and New Zealand are similar- sized countries with much in common," said Key.The two countries had a good record of cooperation, particularly at a multilateral level through organizations like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization."Both New Zealand and Norway are also internationally active on polar issues, especially the preservation of the Antarctic environment," Key added.While in New Zealand, Stoltenberg would also meet Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully.Stoltenberg is to visit Antarctica as a guest of the U.S. Antarctic Program for the centenary celebrations of the first expedition to reach the South Pole, which was led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen.He will leave the country on Dec. 16.