Markering av 20 års selvstendighet for Estland, Latvia og Litauen

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Dear neighbours and friends, 

On 25 August 1991, Foreign Minister Thorvald Stoltenberg announced that Norway would restore diplomatic relations with the three Baltic States. 

Norwegian–Baltic relations awoke again, after we were kept apart for more than 50 years. In that historic year we closed a parenthesis rather than opened a new chapter. Because we returned to what should be the normal state between us: that of close cooperation and friendship.  

During the past 20 years, we have written new chapters in all areas of our cooperation. And we have re-established relationships that go back a thousand years. 

The Norwegian king Olav Tryggvason, who died in the year 1000, had a decisive influence on the Norwegian self-image.

As a child Olav was taken captive while he was en route to Novgorod and sold into slavery. He spent six years, a good part of his childhood, in Estonia. And as the great chronicler Snorre writes in Olav Trygvason’s saga, he was well treated. The Christian values he brought with him back to Norway must have been strongly influenced by his Estonian upbringing. 

Our common history is part of European history. Riga, Tallinn, Tartu, Kaunas and Bergen were all part of or associated with the Hanseatic League of medieval times. Riga and the Norwegian city of Ålesund share a more modern cultural feature as prime examples of European Art Nouveau architecture. 

Dear friends, 

Many of you who are present today were engaged in what happened at the time of independence and established personal contacts in the Baltic countries.  

You were there when it mattered most. 

Individuals who had a strong personal engagement led the way. Institutions broadened the cooperation. At least 35 Norwegian municipalities and counties have had or still have partnerships with a municipality in one or more of the three Baltic countries. 

As director of culture, Halvard Kausland was in charge of the Vestfold Music Festival. Through contacts with Lithuanian musicians, he knew of the situation in the country. He invited the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra as well as the musician and politician Vytautas Landsbergis to the festival.

In 1991, Vestfold County signed the first formal agreement on cooperation with Kaunas. Two years later the Vestfold Information Centre in Kaunas opened. Today the Centre provides assistance to Norwegian businesses that want to establish themselves in Lithuania.

Athletes became engaged. In 1989, a group of Norwegian cyclists participated in a race in Tallinn. They made friends with Estonian cyclists and learned about their situation. In 1990, Norway arranged the Nordic Championships in cycling. To support the Baltic nations’ fight for independence, the organisers of the event invited athletes from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to take part. All the participants were moved when the flags of the Baltic countries were hoisted - the first time since 1939! 

The Nordic Council of Ministers decided in 1990 to establish the Nordic Information Offices as a means of supporting the struggle for independence. These offices have been key instruments in promoting contact and carrying out projects between us. 

Police collaboration led to the establishment of Operation Borderless, where Norwegian and Lithuanian police work together to fight crime.

In the spring of 1990, the Storting - the Norwegian parliament - was following the situation in the Baltic States closely. 44 parliamentarians from all parties formed a contact group for the Baltics. MPs travelled to Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius at critical times to demonstrate their support. When the Estonian parliament declared independence on 20 August 1991, three Norwegian parliamentarians were present: Inger Lise Gjørv, Ingvald Godal and Oscar D. Hillgard.

A common factor then was the close personal contact. I am happy that we continue to build strong personal ties between us. Urmas, when you visited Oslo in August last year, you kindly gave me a book by the Finnish-Estonian author Sofi Oksanen. This book, Purge, became a bestseller and has received numerous awards, including the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Its story is a powerful one. Through the lives of two women we learn the 20th century history of Estonia. It is a story of survival and hard choices.

Two days after the Norwegian government’s decision in 1991 to restore diplomatic relations, the three foreign ministers visited Oslo to sign the agreement: Lennart Meri of Estonia, Janis Jurkāns of Latvia and Algirdas Saudargas of Lithuania. On 10 September that year, the Norwegian Government decided to establish embassies in all three capitals. 

Twenty years on, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are members of the European family of nations – of NATO and the EU and all relevant European institutions. And on 1 January this year, Estonia adopted the Euro.

The division of our continent – geographically, politically, culturally – is confined to the past. Today we share common values of democracy and human rights – and we work closely to promote these values on the global stage, not least in the United Nations. We make our views known when international cooperation is being discussed. The Nordic-Baltic family of nations represents the 9th largest economy in the world. We share seats at the World Bank and the IMF. We are the second biggest contributor of voluntary funds to the World Bank. Today we will have a discussion on the international leadership mechanisms – the UN, the Bretton Woods Institutions, and the G20.

Our military personnel work together. In Afghanistan, all our countries are troop-contributing nations in ISAF. Latvian servicemen have for several years been working side by side with Norwegian colleagues in joint units in the Faryab province. Also, Norway’s contribution to NATO’s Air Policing in your region is further testimony to our cooperation.

Many of my countrymen have seen the beauty of the old towns of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. They know a good Baltic craftsman who works close by. Seven out of ten immigrants to Norway are Europeans. 6,600 Lithuanians, 2,100 Latvians and 650 Estonians immigrated to Norway last year. The number of workers staying here temporarily is much higher. They contribute to our economy and our society.

More than 1000 Norwegian firms are represented in the Baltic States. Trade grew steadily until the economic crisis hit Europe in 2009. Nowhere else outside our country is the Norwegian business presence more visible than in Riga. Norwegians visiting Riga are amazed. Almost on every street corner, we see familiar chain stores, shops, banks and kiosks: Rimi, Dressmann, BikBok, Narvesen, DnB Nor, Statoil.

Several are also present in Estonia and Lithuania, visible proof that business builds ties between our countries.

We share a common market through the European Economic Area. And the EEA and Norway Grants are ground-breaking arrangements that have been established since you joined the European Union in 2004.

Norway contributes to the reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe. Funds are made available for programmes on environment and climate change, human and social development, protection of the European cultural heritage, innovation and research, police cooperation and correctional services.

The EEA and Norway Grants strengthen the bonds between Norway and the beneficiary states. The three Baltic countries are the most popular of all the partners under the Grants, which benefit European 15 states.

We are deepening our Nordic-Baltic cooperation. The Wise Men’s Report from last year suggested a number of areas for further work. A similar report on Nordic cooperation, the Stoltenberg report, has a wider regional context. Others see our form of sub-regional organisations as a role model.

The broad-based cooperation and people-to-people contacts established between our countries serve as an example to others on their road to democracy. A centre was recently established in Tallinn to share experience and give advice to the countries of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership. Your neighbouring countries to the east and south face challenges in their reform processes.

I am delighted to see the extensive network of people-to-people contacts that has been built. Businesses, schools, municipalities, research institutions and non-governmental organisations will continue their work.

Dear colleagues and friends,

The Baltic countries are prime examples of successful transition. New terms were coined: “The Singing Revolution”. “The Baltic Chain”. Your peoples succeeded in keeping their cool during months of extreme pressure. The transition that you underwent should serve as an inspiration to others. Today the struggle for freedom and democracy spreads through the Middle East and North Africa. Some, like Egypt, will hold what we hope will be true democratic elections a few months from now. In other countries – such as Libya and Syria – the regimes in place still threaten and oppress their own citizens in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. It is an attempt that will not – and that we cannot allow to succeed. Oppression and dictatorship must be replaced with freedom and democracy. Just as you did in the Baltic States 20 years ago.

We do not yet know what the future will bring for the people of Tunisia. Of Egypt. Of Libya or Syria - and of other countries that might be heading for change. But regardless of geography and culture, the Baltic States are prime examples of what can be achieved in a limited time span when it comes to rebuilding a state and a society after decades of authoritarian rule. I am happy to join with you in celebrating 20 remarkable years.

Thank you for your attention.