(MENAFN) Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store expressed criticism on Thursday regarding the United States’ choice not to send a high-level delegation to the UN COP30 climate change summit, scheduled for Nov. 10-21 in Brazil.

"I regret that the United States is not there. I think the United States should have been around that table," Store told a broadcaster.

Despite the U.S. absence, Store emphasized that the summit could still offer significant opportunities.

"It doesn't fall apart because the US isn't there. The EU must take a bigger role, Norway must take a bigger role, and we must work with China," Store stated.

Store also labeled the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement as "negative."

"Without the Paris Agreement, we would have been in a much more serious place," he warned.

The UN COP30 climate change summit, scheduled for Nov. 10-21 in Brazil, aims to transform previous commitments into tangible actions and enhance financial support for vulnerable nations, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts that challenge global climate cooperation.

Taking place for the first time in the Amazon Basin, the conference is projected to attract nearly 50,000 attendees to Belem, a city of 1.4 million residents, presenting substantial logistical challenges ahead of the event.

To help manage this pressure, Brazil will hold the leaders’ segment — the Belem Climate Summit — on Thursday and Friday, several days prior to the formal COP negotiations.

This scheduling marks a departure from previous years, as leaders typically join the summit at the start of COP talks.

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