November 3, 2023
We hope you enjoy this brief look into recent developments in Norway and at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Cover art: Haakon Lundkvist, VisitNorthwest.no. |
We are excited to welcome you to the first issue of our biweekly newsletter.
While it's been some time since the Embassy last had a newsletter, we wanted a way to share stories from the Norwegian Embassy and Norway itself with a wider audience. Norge Nå will keep you connected to policy, events, and culture in real time. Topics we will touch on include security policy, the green transition, Norwegian trade and business, Arctic issues, human rights and democracy, higher education, and research. We will also make sure to let you know what's been happening here at the Embassy and announce upcoming events with Norwegian artists around the country!
If you would like to unsubscribe for any reason, you can click the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of this email. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. If you are currently unsubscribed but would like to subscribe, click here and let us know! Photo credit: The Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. |
Welcoming Our Honorary Consuls and Team Norway |
Last week, we were pleased to welcome representatives from Team Norway and our honorary consuls to a conference at our Embassy.
We have 27 honorary consuls for the U.S. region, and we are so thankful for their and Team Norway's efforts to support and promote Norway in the United States. The organizations visiting as part of Team Norway included Innovation Norway, Norwegian Energy Partners (NORWEP), the Norwegian Seafood Council, Invest in Norway, NorCham, and the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce. Our visitors reviewed bilateral strategies and priorities, went into depth about the Norway-U.S. relationship with Ambassador Krutnes, and discussed ways that honorary consuls and Team Norway could support one another. They also heard about plans for Norway’s upcoming 2025 bicentennial. Thanks to all for an inspiring few days! Photo credit: The Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
|
Norwegian Minister of Oil and Energy Visits U.S. |
This week, Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland visited the United States.
On October 30, he attended a high-level U.S.-Norway Energy and Climate Forum to help advance joint priorities and interests. These included energy assistance to Ukraine, European energy security, the clean energy transition, and commercial collaboration on topics like critical minerals and diversifying supply chains. The forum culminated in a joint statement by the two countries – a commitment to keep furthering renewable energy sources and strengthening cooperation.
Then, the Embassy in Washington hosted a panel discussion on similar topics. Minister Aasland stressed the importance of strong Norway U.S. cooperation on energy and the need to work closely with industries to reach our ambitious energy transition goals.
Later, he met with U.S. Senators Barrasso, Cassidy, and Manchin. He also took part in “Energy Security: A Discussion with Norwegian Minister Terje Aasland,” hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Then it was on to Houston, Texas, where Minister Aasland interacted with a broad range of Norwegian and U.S. energy stakeholders.
To read more, click here. Photo credit: Stine Grimsrud, OED. |
Minister of International Development in Iowa |
Last week, Norwegian Minister of International Development and Nordic Cooperation Anne Beathe Tvinnereim was in Des Moines, Iowa, where she participated in the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue. This is an annual food-security conference organized by the World Food Prize Foundation that attracts researchers and decision-makers from all over the world. In a speech, Minister Tvinnereim stressed the scale and severity of world hunger today and the importance of continuing to focus on solutions. Norway and the U.S. are close partners in combatting hunger and food-insecurity globally.
Norway and Iowa also share a strong bond, and with that in mind, Minister Tvinnereim brought along some traditional Norwegian cheese to share with Dr. Cary Fowler (the U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security) and Terry Branstad (former Governor of Iowa and Head of the World Food Prize Foundation). The cheese, gamalost, is from Vik in Western Norway, where Norman Borlaug’s family originated!
To read an interview with Minister Tvinnereim, click here.
Photo credit: Syver Zachariassen, Utanriksdepartementet. |
Norwegian Cheese Wins Top Prize |
At the end of October, the World Cheese Awards were held in Trondheim, Norway. More than 4,500 different samples were up for the highest honor available to cheesemakers from across the globe. Judging was determined by 264 leading cheese experts, working in teams of two or three.
In the end, the winner was just as Norwegian as the setting – Nidelven Blå by Gangstad Gårdsysteri, a small dairy farm based just two hours away. The judges described it as "sort of a short creaminess, like real dense fudginess" and "the perfect blue cheese." Congratulations! To learn more, click here.
Photo credit: Haakon Berg, Guild of Fine Food.
|
Beginning tomorrow and throughout the month of November, Scena Theatre will present Jon Fosse's renowned play Strong Wind at the DC Arts Center. This production is especially relevant after Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.” The play also features Embassy employee Sissel Bakken. For tickets and showtimes, click here. * French-Norwegian theater company Plexus Polaire will shortly be touring the United States with Moby Dick, directed by Yngvild Aspeli. The group is known for its strong Nordic atmosphere, striking visuals, music, and mixing of life-sized puppets and actors.
Below is their schedule: Emerson Paramount Center (Boston, MA): January 23-28
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (Pittsburgh, PA): February 1-3 Photo credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage. |
|
|
|
