Speech at luncheon in Santiago de Chile

Madam President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, thank you for your warm welcome.

I greatly appreciate having been invited to Chile. My wife and I are particularly honoured to have had the opportunity to celebrate Independence Day here in Santiago.

There can be no better proof of the excellent relations between our two countries.

Your strong leadership, Madam President, has made a crucial contribution to the development of the modern Chile.

And this in turn has created a foundation for strong bilateral relations between Norway and Chile.

To meet the challenges that our planet is facing, we need strong bilateral partnerships between like-minded countries.

Countries like Norway and Chile.

Even though we are at opposite ends of the world, we share the same fundamental beliefs and values.

We have worked closely together on multilateral issues of great importance. We are strong supporters of UN reform, and disarmament and non-proliferation.

One issue close to my heart – both as a politician and as a father – is achieving the health-related millennium development goals.

I am particularly happy that you, Madam President, share my interest in promoting child and maternal health. Your active participation in the Network of Global Leaders has been invaluable.

I look forward to co-chairing the roundtable on health and education with you in New York next week.

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Perhaps the greatest challenge we face is addressing the threat of climate change. And both Norway and Chile are already seeing the dramatic results this can have.

In the Norwegian territory of Svalbard, the ice is melting more rapidly than anywhere else in the Arctic. And the fastest changes in the southern ice cap are taking place in the part of Antarctica closest to Chile.

So I am very pleased that Chile is also a strong proponent of a new global agreement on climate change.

Your efforts and engagement will be vital.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

Historically, Chile and its territories have been a destination for many Norwegian adventurers. As I am sure you all know, in 1955 the explorer Thor Heyerdahl led the first professional archaeological expedition to Easter Island.

A lesser-known adventurer was Arnt Arentsen, who in 1889 wrote to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposing the establishment of a Norwegian colony in Magallanes, to be called “Normannia”.  

Arentsen was apparently inspired by the geographical and topographical similarities between Norway and the peninsula of Brunswick. But it was difficult for him to convince the Chilean authorities and Norwegian settlers that this was a good idea, and the colony never materialised.

Now a new wave of Norwegians is descending on Chile. Once again inspired by the fjords, but now the inspiration is more than sentimental.

Like Norway, Chile can offer prime conditions for producing salmon. And cooperation between Norwegian and Chilean fish farming companies is growing.

I am proud to say that Norwegian technology has been instrumental in the development of the sector.

But the main reason for the impressive growth of Chilean fish farming is your own hard work. Today we are equal partners as well as competitors, and Norway and Chile are by far the most important salmon farming countries in the world.

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Chile is an open and investor-friendly economy. You have managed to attract a number of Norwegian companies in a wide range of sectors including engineering, energy, paper, mining, fisheries and shipping.

The Norwegian government expects Norwegian companies to apply strict environmental and labour standards. My government is strongly committed to promoting corporate social responsibility.

I know that the Chilean government is also doing a great deal to ensure good working conditions, non-discrimination and high environmental standards.  

I believe this is another area where our two countries could cooperate closely.

Madam President,

We are truly on historical ground at La Moneda.

Being here today is not only a great honour, but also a moving experience.

I am happy to see that Chile has taken its place as a strong and stable democracy.

A highly respected country, which is playing an important role in the international community.

I would like to ask you all to join me in a toast to President Bachelet, to Chile and to the friendship between our two countries.