NOVEMBER 17, 2023

Issue #2

We hope you enjoy this brief look into recent developments in Norway and at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. If you are not subscribed but would like to be, please send us an email here. 

Cover art: Haakon Lundkvist, VisitNorthwest.no.

This week, Mr. Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Norwegian Storting (Parliament), and a delegation arrived in the United States. This visit underscored the historic bonds between the United States and Norway, as well as the importance of our foundational democratic ideals in today's global context. 

One of their destinations was the National Archives. In the halls of this historic building, they got a personal look at the origins of modern democracy through documents like the Magna Carta, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The Constitution held particular importance, because it helped to inspire the Norwegian Grunnlov, which is the second-oldest constitution in the world.

Following this, Mr. Gharahkhani engaged with students and staff at Georgetown University in a discussion on governance, politics, and the critical role of safeguarding our democratic institutions and principles. 

He also spent time on Capitol Hill, where he met with Senators Angus King, Lisa Murkowski, Patty Murray, and Bernie Sanders, and Congressmen Kelly Armstrong and Rick Larsen. Discussions were focused around democracy and shared history and values, as well as the current situations in Ukraine and the Middle East. 

Then he went on to New York, where he visited UN headquarters and will soon meet with Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as viewing the September 11 Memorial and engaging with green transition efforts.

For more information, click here (text in Norwegian).

Photo, from left: Bård Ludvig Thorheim, Gro-Anita Mykjåland, Masud Gharahkhani, Jeffrey Rosen, Une Bastholm, and Anniken Ramberg Krutnes.

On Tuesday, Ambassador Anniken Krutnes opened the first day of a seminar on transatlantic space cooperation in the Arctic to a packed Atlantic Hall. The seminar was a collaboration between the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Norsk Romsenter (the Norwegian Space Agency), in partnership with the Space Policy Institute at The George Washington University.

Norway and the United States share a long history of collaboration in the field of space exploration and activity. The seminar provided a platform for fostering ongoing collaboration between North America and Norway, with a focus on space-related endeavors. It aimed to explore new avenues for cooperation, bringing together key stakeholders such as science institutes, space agencies, state departments, policy makers, the armed forces, and industry leaders.

To learn more about this event, click here.

These are exciting times for Norwegian space policy. Just two weeks ago, H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon opened Europe’s first orbital spaceport on the Norwegian island of Andøya. The new Andøya Spaceport makes Norway one of just a few countries with its own launch capabilities, which will begin in 2024. For more about that, click here.

On November 13, the Embassy hosted a reception in collaboration with the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim. The event welcomed guests participating in this year’s Society for Neuroscience Summit.

The Society for Neuroscience is the world’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system.

The speakers were the Embassy's Deputy Head of Mission Torleiv Opland (far right), Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience Managing Director Bjarne Foss (second from left), and 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winners May-Britt and Edvard Moser (center and second from right). The latter two speakers are renowned for their discovery of grid cells, which are the basis for how the brain can sense its position in space.

The Embassy was honored to host veterans, students, and active duty members at a reception in conjunction with the American Veterans Center on November 3, just ahead of Veterans Day. Attendees heard from Ambassador Krutnes and had the opportunity to discuss their service with Embassy diplomats and employees.

The guests included veterans, students, and active duty members of all ages – including 100-year-old World War II veteran Jake Larson, who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

This month, the Norwegian Seafood Council collaborated with Whole Foods to promote the Norwegian cod and salmon sold there. Participating cities were Boston, Philadelphia, New York... and Washington, D.C., which meant that Ambassador Anniken Krutnes was able to stop by, serve up free samples, and chat about Norwegian seafood to customers.

Exports of seafood from Norway to the U.S. have grown by 44% in volume and 75% in value from 2019 to 2022. If you think Norwegian seafood is "super delicious!" – like the little girl Embassy employees overheard in the store – we recommend trying out one of these recipes.