Norway and Estonia. Old Connections - New Partnership.

I welcome the opportunity to address the readers of "Eesti Päevaleht" on the eve of my visit to Estonia - the first ever by a Norwegian Prime Minister. This also happens to be my first official visit abroad since replacing Gro Harlem Brundtland three weeks ago.

The purpose of my visit is sixfold: to show that the Baltic states are important to Norway because they belong to our "near abroad"; to increase security and prosperity in the region through enhanced cooperation; to support the process of nation-building and reform in Estonia; to strengthen the political dialogue between our two countries; to promote trade and investments; to increase cultural exchange.

What this amounts to, is building a genuine partnership with Estonia.

While I come here to mark a new beginning in relations between our countries and people, I remain mindful of the old connections, dating back to the time of the Vikings.

Two of Norway's early kings, Olav I and Olav II, are both linked to the city of Tallinn - one as a slave, the other as a saint.

The first Olav - Olav Tryggvason - spent part of his childhood here. Fleeing enemies in Norway, he and his mother were captured by Estonians and sold as slaves. Olav was later bought free by King Valdemar of Novgorod. He returned to his homeland, where he was king for five years until he fell in battle in the year 1000.

The second Olav - Olav Haraldsson - captivated Estonians rather than being taken captive. In the year 1030, he fell as a martyr in the battle of Stiklestad. Olav II came to be seen as the patron saint of Norway and parts of Northern Europe.

Tallinn's Oleviste kirik or St. Olav's church is a beautiful expression of how Estonians have preserved the memory of Saint Olav for almost a thousand years.

The commercial links which are now being revived also go way back. The Vikings were not only warriors. They were tradesmen who used to call on Tallinn while travelling to and from Gardarriket (Russia) and Miklagard (Istanbul). For centuries, Tallinn and Bergen belonged to the same economic entity - the Hanseatic League.

There is a strong cultural affinity between us. Norwegians and Estonians share an interest in traditional popular culture - folk music, folk dance and folk costumes. Our literary roots are also quite similar. More than twenty Norwegian writers, both the great classics and the contemporaries, have been published in Estonia. The early twentieth century, when we were both young nation-states, was a particularly rich period in terms of cultural exchange.

Then came the war. Nazi aggression, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Soviet annexation. Norway's independence was lost for five years. Estonia's independence was lost for five decades.

Anton Soimla, the first Estonian soldier to fall in World War II, died in Norway during the battle of Narvik in the spring of 1940. Soimla was one of ten Estonians who joined the Finnish army as volunteers and went on to enlist in Norway's Alta battalion. He is buried at Lenvik in Ofoten. His grave is still tended by local people who have put up a stone with the following inscription: Anton Soimla. Estonian volunteer. Fell at Narvik. Thanks.

Norway never recognised the Soviet occupation of Estonia. Having been ruled by outside powers for centuries, we could never accept such foreign domination against the will of a small and proud nation. The writer Arnulf Øverland spoke for all of us when he defended the cause of the Baltic states in a famous address to the Oslo Society of Workers in 1946. Norway was always careful not to take steps in dealing with the Soviet Union which could be construed as a de facto recognition of Soviet rule in Estonia.

For five decades, relations between Norway and Estonia were frozen.

Then came the real thaw. Stirring pictures from the closing chapter of the Cold War. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The singing revolution.

We remember the excitement of August 1989, when Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians joined hands in common cause and formed a human chain stretching from Tallinn, through Riga, to Vilnius. We also remember the drama and tension of January and August 1991, with the barricades and bonfires outside Castle Hill.

But the singing revolution could not be crushed. The Estonian people prevailed. A nation weak in arms but strong in morals reemerged as an independent state.

Today, Norway and Estonia are building new networks - bilaterally, within the framework of 5+3 in the Nordic-Baltic region, and within the Council of the Baltic Sea States. We are creating a multi-purpose partnership. Norwegians are aware of the many challenges you are facing and stand ready, as it is our duty, to work with you, offering advice, assistance, opportunities, and an international environment conducive to prosperity and security.

I will be accompanied to Tallin by a group of businessmen representing Norwegian companies which have made strategic decisions about long- term involvement in Estonia. They are ready to invest in both physical and human capital. They represent state-of-the-art technologies and management principles. They are reliable partners. They are but one reason why Estonia's new entrepreneurs should be looking to Norway.

Estonia aims at even closer political and economic integration with the West. Membership of the European Union is an important goal. As a non-member of the EU, Norway is supporting you politically to the best of our ability. We expect to see Estonia on the starting line alongside other candidate countries when negotiations for membership begin after the intergovernmental conference.

Today, Norway and Estonia are also cooperating within the framework of NATO's Partnership-for-peace program. We are doing peacekeeping together. Norway has helped to train and equip BALTBAT, the Baltic peacekeeping batalion. Soon your soldiers will join our blue helmets in UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon. NATO's PfP-program is making the line thinner between NATO members and non-member countries. PfP symbolizes the changed nature of the Alliance following the end of the Cold War.

NATO will continue to change with the circumstances. The Alliance remains open to democratic countries. No doors will be closed. No outside power will have a veto over NATO's own decisions, which are taken by consensus among its members. Our goal is enhanced security for everybody. We are putting particular emphasis on how to avoid creating new dividing lines in Europe.

Consolidating democracy and the rule of law, Estonia has already earned the distinction of membership in the Council of Europe. The Council, which holds both our countries to the highest possible standards of humanity and civilisation, is now seized with questions of minorities and immigrants, as well as the fight against racism and xenophobia. We must all learn to deal with these issues and counter such tendencies in order to keep Europe as a refuge of enlightened diversity and tolerance.

As one of Estonia's partners in peace and prosperity, Norway will help you recapture decades of lost opportunities and catch up within a short time span. I am confident that you can and will succeed. Because the greatest resources you possess, now as in the past, are those of the Estonian people.