Prime Minister to visit Shetland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will visit Shetland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland from 16 to19 May. “These are important neighbouring areas for Norway historically, but they are also important with regard to resource management, security, research and climate issues,” the Prime Minister said.  

Shetland 16–17 May

In order to commemorate the wartime resistance movement known as the “Shetland Bus” and the close ties between Norway and Shetland during the Second World War, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will open a new museum in Scalloway, which is housing exhibitions on the Shetland Bus. This year will mark 70 years since the Norwegian base on Shetland was established. Mr Stoltenberg will also take part in a local 17 May celebration, in which school children, descendants of North Sea escape route veterans, and visiting Norwegians will participate. The veteran Norwegian Royal Navy vessel and submarine chaser Hitra, which participated in the Shetland Bus, the Coast Guard vessel Bergen, and several veteran ships from Norway will also be docked in Scalloway for the opening of the museum. Mr Stoltenberg will visit Scalloway School, where pupils will show him a school display on the ties between Norway and Shetland. 

The Faroe Islands 17–18 May

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will have talks with the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, Kaj Leo Johannesen, and will visit the Faroese Parliament, the Løgting, in Torshavn. He will also attend a Faroese¬–Norwegian cultural event at the Nordic House, and visit the historical and cultural hub at the Yard of Kirkjubøur, also known as the King’s Farm, in the village of Kirkjubøur, on Streymoy. Kirkjubøur, which is home to both the King’s Farm and the ruins of the Magnus Cathedral, is a living monument to the longstanding historical ties between the Faroe Islands and Norway.

Greenland 18–19 May

In Greenland, Mr Stoltenberg will meet the Prime Minister of Greenland, Kuupik Kleist, travel to the Greenland ice sheet, and have talks with climate researchers at the University of Greenland in Nuuk. There will also be time in Mr Stoltenberg’s schedule for a visit to the Norse settlements in southern Greenland.

Contact email address for journalists wishing to participate: smkinfo@smk.dep.no

Press contacts at the Prime Minister’s Office:

State Secretary Hans Kristian Amundsen, mobile phone: +47 915 68 224, and
Communications Adviser Tor Borgersen, mobile phone: +47 909 38 987.