President Lennart Meri received Per Kristian Pedersen, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway, who had come to present his credentials from the Norwegian King Harald V, in the presidential palace of Kadriorg today. The Ambassador forwarded the King's kind regards to President Meri and the people of Estonia, confirming that the King and Queen of Norway still cherish the memories of the state visit to Estonia in autumn 1998.

The Ambassador confirmed that Norway fully supports Estonia's accession to the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures. As the Ambassador said, in Estonia he will have the very interesting task of maintaining the excellent relations between the two countries.

As the President said, Estonia is grateful for Norway's support. The President believes that the support derives not only from a long common history, which includes both the introduction of Christianity to Estonia from Norway and the heroic deed of the Estonian who died for Norway in World War II, but is also connected to our common Nordic cultural space and visions of future on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Also power industry issues, mostly the possibility of building a gas pipeline that would circle the Baltic Sea, were discussed. The Ambassador admitted that he had been dealing with the power industry issues of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania already on his previous post in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. President Meri accentuated that for Estonia, the solving of the energy circle problem is a primary task. Also the situation in the Arctic was discussed, as well as the activities of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute that focuses on Arctic research and travel publications.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 5, 2000

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