Norway said the Nordic countries would work on a common defense agreement. Reuters. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland will work towards a joint defense agreement to strengthen NATO's overall defense capability, Norwegian Defense Minister Tor Sandvik said. "We have already come a long way within NATO. We conduct exercises and training together more often than ever before. Now we want to take the cooperation to a new level and integrate the Nordic armed forces even more closely," Sandvik said. One of the main challenges was the need to harmonize laws and regulations, for example regarding the movement of military personnel and equipment across borders.