Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour and pleasure for me to be here in Ljubljana tonight. It is a particular honour in view of the fact that this is the first official visit of a Norwegian prime minister to the independent Slovenia.

And what an exciting time to be here. As a recently independent nation, you are discovering your identity and history. At the same time, you are looking ahead, into the future, and the full-fledged integration in Europe. This moment in history can be captured in the words of the poet, Boris A. Novak: “Memory has two wings: the first is past, the second is future”.

There are many reasons for optimism. I am optimistic about the future. Slovenia is on the brink of entering the European Union together with nine other countries. When entering the EU, Slovenia will also become party to the EEA Agreement. This will open the door for increased economic relations between our two countries. Slovenia will also join NATO. As partners in NATO, we will work together to meet serious threats posed by terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. United efforts are imperative in order to deal with these grave threats.

Mr Prime Minister, during our talks a short while ago, I drew your attention to the two new financial arrangements which will be established as a result of the extended EEA Agreement. One is the EEA financial mechanism, and the other is a separate Norwegian bilateral financial instrument. The latter alone will give Slovenia an annual financial support of 2,5 million euros. We are looking forward to a close political dialogue with Slovenia in order to identify priorities and concrete projects that will make a difference to people. I believe that this partnership will strengthen the relationship between our countries in the long term.

Slovenia stands out as an example to the whole region with its remarkable economic development and well-functioning society. Your country is more than ready to join the EU. In the words of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, dr. Guenter Verheugen: "Slovenia does not have great problems and is top of the league, which is no surprise".

Slovenia’s geographic location and your history make you an invaluable partner in the efforts to further integrate the other Western Balkan countries in the Euro-Atlantic structures. The long-term objective is membership status. In the interim we must embark on practical and tangible cooperation. Your role will be even more important when you join NATO and the EU next year.

We look forward to working closely with you when you take on the responsibility of the OSCE Chairmanship in 2005.

Slovenia and Norway share many similarities. We too have struggled for independence. Also, parallels can be drawn between our small countries with few inhabitants. We both have spectacular scenery and wonderful mountains - and we are good at skiing. People often characterize Slovenia as a Europe in miniature, with its long history and rich culture, beautiful cities and castles, hills, plains and coastline. And Slovenia enjoys a location in the centre of Europe, something you will surely benefit from even more once Slovenia becomes a member of the EU.

Having mentioned skiing, it is my pleasure to underline Slovenia’s position as a great sports nation that has bred many great athletes. Or to put it simply as expressed by the then President of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch during his visit to Slovenia in 1993: "You are a small country but great at sports!"

The relations between our two countries are close and very friendly, but they can be developed to cover an even wider range of areas. I am therefore very pleased to tell you that Norway will open an embassy in Ljubljana in early December this year. I look forward to strengthening our relations and enhancing our friendship.

It has been said that a sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favourable wind. Even though hopes for the future are strongly present in your country, you are fully aware that mere hope will get you nowhere. There is no doubt that Slovenia’s promising future stems from wise decisions and hard work - on behalf of politicians and the people. And you deserve favourable winds to come your way.

May I ask you to join me in a toast to Prime Minister Rop and to the happiness and prosperity of the people of Slovenia.