Norway’s defense minister Ine Eriksen Søreide was promoted to foreign minister in a Cabinet reshuffle Friday, making her the first woman in Norwegian history to fill that top job.
While the news had been floated by local media since Wednesday, the Norwegian king confirmed that the decision had been taken by Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Søreide will replace Børge Brende who is to become president of the World Economic Forum. The current Europe minister, Frank Bakke-Jensen, will take her place at the defense ministry.
Soreide first worked as a local TV producer and lawyer. She had served as defense minister since 2013.
Norway is renowned for championing gender equality. In 2016, the country was ranked third in the the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, where it scored strongly on political participation and pay gaps.
Politico
