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Mr President, representatives of Telenor, friends,

It is a great pleasure to be with you here tonight, Mr President, to mark the opening of Telenor’s new office here in Belgrade.

This is first of all a commercial occasion of great significance. But it also has political implications, for Serbia as well as for the bilateral relations between Norway and Serbia.

Telenor’s investment of 1.5 billion euros in Serbia is its largest ever investment abroad. This makes Norway one of the major investors in your country. Telenor’s investment is a result of fair and transparent competition. And it is a result of sound analyses of the stability and prospects of the market in Serbia.

I know that Telenor’s representatives have been well received and feel welcome in your country. They have established a relationship of trust with your authorities.

I was impressed to see – even during my first hours in Belgrade – how prominently the Telenor name and logo figure in the streets of your capital. I am confident that its presence here, and the effect it will have on competition, will benefit your economy and the customers.

For Serbia, this investment means that the international business community has increasing confidence in the stability and prospects for growth in your economy and your markets. You have been at the forefront of creating this new atmosphere – together with your government.

I am therefore confident that an investment of this kind will have wider and positive implications for how Serbia is regarded in the international community. It is a sign of normalisation and of hope for a more promising future.

It is also an important event in our bilateral relations. The political ties between our countries are expanding. They are based on solid traditions dating back to the Second World War.

On 7 October, I unveiled a monument in memory of the Yugoslav citizens who lost their lives during that dark era of our common history. Today, after years of war in this region, we have entered a new era where our long-standing friendship can be further developed in a new and peaceful Europe.

We must make full use of this opportunity, politically and economically. We are already expanding our political dialogue. And we are developing our economic ties with a number of other companies in Serbia as well.

I look forward to developing a vibrant partnership and an even stronger friendship between our two countries.

Norway is engaged in Serbia in so many ways. We cooperate closely on defence reform matters. Norway has been at the forefront of the successful efforts to ensure Serbia’s PfP membership last month. The decision at the Riga Summit will open up for closer cooperation between Serbia and countries of the Euro-Atlantic community.

But this decision also has a wider significance. It is a sign of normalisation, of greater stability in Serbia and a growing desire to integrate Serbia into the Euro-Atlantic structures, to break out of isolation and open the doors to more integration. This is politically important.

However, it also has an important economic perspective. I am confident that these developments will also foster greater trust among investors and will be seen as steps toward creating a better climate for growth and investment.

In both your former capacities as Minister of Telecommunications and Minister of Defence, you have followed the reform process in both fields closely. And you have been an important part of this process. Your two visits to Brussels in July and December inspired confidence among your Euro-Atlantic partners. You and your government have put Serbia on the right path.

Norway is looking forward to proceeding down that path with you in the years ahead – to the benefit of your country, our bilateral relations and Europe as a whole.