Canada and the five Nordic countries have agreed to deepen cooperation in military procurement and other areas, in the latest push by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to build new global alliances.
Carney has sought closer ties with China and Middle Eastern countries as well as India and Europe as he tries to reduce his country's dependence on the U.S. and forge a trading order led by what he calls middle-power countries.
The push has found enthusiastic partners in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
"The old world order is gone and will probably not come back," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters after a meeting of the six nations' premiers in Oslo.
"So we have to build something new and it has to be a world order that is built on the values that we represent," she said.
Frederiksen, who faces a tough re-election battle this month, praised Carney for his speech at the Davos World Economic Forum in January that called for what he called "middle powers" to join forces.
"People in Denmark- and I guess the same goes for the rest of the Nordic countries - have been talking about it; they have been reading your speech," she said.
In a joint statement, the countries said they aimed to work more closely together on defence procurement.
"We all agree that if we individually spend that money or we spend it in an uncoordinated way, it's not going to be value for taxpayers. It also will not protect our people as much as we should," Carney told reporters.
"We will still do a lot of procurement with the United States... but in all cases looking to procure much more in partnership," Carney said.
The group reiterated their support for Ukraine, international trade, building green economies and enhancing Arctic security.
All have territories in the polar region and have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's push to take over Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the effort showed the middle powers coming up with concrete proposals for cooperation.
"This is not about building new institutions. This is about what Prime Minister Carney calls a variable geometry," he told Reuters.
"So ... in certain areas we go together, we deepen cooperation with different participants," he added, citing Australia, Japan and South Korea as other possible partners.
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Canada is hoping to unveil around 10 founding member countries for a proposed global defence bank at next week's NATO summit in Türkiye, as Ottawa pushes forward with an initiative aimed at strengthening allied defence capabilities through cheaper and more accessible financing.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 29 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canada secured a dramatic stoppage-time victory to reach the last 16, as a series of gripping World Cup matches saw Croatia, DR Congo and Argentina also progress.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
Ten EU countries, led by Italy and Poland, have urged the European Union to reconsider a new carbon price on fuel as part of a wider overhaul of the bloc's carbon market, according to a joint statement seen by Reuters.
The European Union (EU) has announced an additional €20 million ($22.8 million) in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela after last month's deadly earthquakes, which killed more than 4,700 people.
India's investigation into last year's Air India crash that killed 260 people has entered its final stages, with investigators completing a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and carrying out a psychological autopsy as they work towards a final report.
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, global humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned, calling for an urgent expansion of containment and care measures.
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