A significant joint project

Madrid, 7 September 2010

Signing address by the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Grete Faremo.

Dear Madam Minister, Ambassadors, distinguished collegues and guests.

First, I would like to express my gratitude for your invitation and for your kind hospitality. It is certainly a great pleasure for me and my delegation to be here in beautiful Madrid, at the end of the warm summer season.

We are gathered here today following several years of hard work that have resulted in a significant joint project that holds great promise to both Spain and Norway.

Norway has been working on a communications satellite project since 2006, turning every stone and making every effort to identify the best solution providing the Norwegian Armed Forces access to military satellite communications.

Several different options - national as well as international - have been weighed, based on cost, capacity and risk.  The selection process has been both rigorous and time consuming, but also rewarding. After almost five years of hard work, I am confident that this joint venture with Spain and Hisdesat will give us the best access to military satellite communications.

I am also certain that Spain’s significant experience in the military SATCOM area will be a valuable asset to Norway in this joint venture. It will indeed reduce the risks linked to the planning, acquisition and operation of a common satellite.

Thus, I am confident that this joint effort will prove successful and pave the way for long lasting and mutually beneficial co-operation.

It is a pleasure for me to be here today for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between our two countries regarding the acquisition and operation of a joint communications satellite. I am looking forward to following the project closely as I believe it is going to serve us all well.