This morning, President Arnold Rüütel and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel on the occasion of their arrival in the Kingdom of Norway were welcomed by Crown Prince Håkon of Norway. The official welcoming ceremony in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo was followed by a meeting of the President of the Republic and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel with King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The President of the Republic presented the Royal Couple with a set of graphic prints by Estonian artist, Concordia Klar.

At a meeting of President Rüütel with Jørgen Kosmo, the President of the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, both sides expressed their contentment with the co-operation between Estonia and Norway having developed well over the last ten years. President Rüütel thanked the Parliament and the Government of Norway for the aid and support given to Estonia, which have helped our country to integrate into the European economic and security area. He added that Estonia was very interested in Norway's experience in the field of regional policy. Jørgen Kosmo said that Norway respected highly the Estonian people and Government for their achievements during the last decade. He assured that Norway was also in future ready to offer Estonia its know-how and support, for example in solving environmental or health service problems.

At noon, President Rüütel met the Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, continuing to discuss, in essence, the same issues which the President and the Prime Minister had talked already on February 20, 2002, at Kadriorg. President Rüütel noted that Estonia, thanks to Norway's strong support, had been able to solve several environmental, economic and social problems and had come quite close to the accession to the European Union and NATO. He voiced hope that the number of companies based on Norwegian capital, operating in Estonia and amounting to 130 at present, increased soon, and that Estonian companies too, would find the way to the Norwegian market.

Liina Tõnisson, the Minister of Economic Affairs participating in the meeting, confirmed that many examples of expanding co-operation could be found in our economy. "Moreover, Estonia, in its turn, could offer Norway and the rest of the world its knowledge of the telecommunications sector," the Minister noted. She said that Estonia was very interested in joining the Nordic circle of gas-pipelines, in order to purchase natural gas not only from Russia but also from Norway.

Prime Minister Bondevik termed the given interest of Estonia an important message and confirmed that Norway and Estonia had common objectives in this field. Prime Minister Bondevik also emphasized that Norway supported the admission of both Estonia and the other Baltic States to NATO. The President thanked in the person of the Prime Minister Norway for its support.

In the afternoon, the President laid a wreath at the fortress of Akershus and, thereafter, headed for the Nobel Institute, where he will give a lecture entitled "Regional Co-operation as a Guarantee of Democracy and Stability in Europe".

Later in the afternoon, the President will attend an Estonian-Norwegian genetics seminar in the Gaustad Institute and a Norwegian-Estonian business seminar.

In the evening, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway in the Royal Palace will host a festive dinner in honour of the President of Estonia and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, April 10, 2002