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President of the Republic began a state visit to the Kingdom of Norway
02.09.2014
This morning, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves began a state visit to the Kingdom of Norway.
At an official reception ceremony in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo, the Estonian Head of State was greeted by King Harald and Queen Sonja together with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
President Ilves and King Harald and Queen Sonja placed a wreath at the monument to the victims of World War II. The royal couple will hold a state dinner in the honour of President Ilves.
The Estonian Head of State presented the Norwegian royal couple with a painting by Vano Allsalu entitled "Trooja" (Troy) (2014, acrylic, canvas). Vano Allsalu, lecturer of art at the Estonian Academy of Arts and President of the Estonian Artists' Association, has recalled his personal connections to Norway as follows: "For me, Edvard Munch represented a symbol of "relieving madness" during the totalitarian pressure and anguish of the occupation, or "totalitarian madness", in the 1980s and he was an important influence on my development as an art student – both as an ingenious artist and an independent and brave person, as characterised in the biography written by Rolf Stenersen. /---/ To understand (and enjoy) light, we must also take a look into darkness – for me, this is one way to summarise the moral conveyed by the dramatic creations of Munch. Perhaps this realisation contains something that will inevitably unite people in the Nordic countries of dark winters and light summers."
The Estonian Head of State will today meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of Norway, Olemic Thommessen, and the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg. The meetings will focus on the security situation in Norway and Baltic-Nordic region, the events in Ukraine and relations between Estonia and Norway in general. President Ilves will also have an opportunity to discuss Estonian-Norwegian co-operation with King Harald at an official dinner.
President Ilves will give a lecture entitled "25 Years After – Still not Whole and Free!" at the European Conference 2014 representative foreign and security policy discussion, which is being organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Oslo University.
President Ilves will also meet with representatives of the business sectors of Norway and Estonia, who are participating in a welcoming reception organised by the business delegation that is accompanying President Ilves. An Estonian-Norwegian business seminar will take place on 3 September in Oslo.
A series of Estonian film called "Kellavärgiga Kartul" (Clockwork Potato) will be shown on 2-4 September in Oslo and Trondheim as a part of the state visit by President Ilves as our cultural gift to the Kingdom of Norway, supported by the Cultural Foundation of the President of the Republic and made possible by the co-operation between the Estonian Institute and the Estonian Film Institute. The Norwegian audience in Oslo will be shown the following films: "Seenelkäik" (Mushrooming), "Disko ja tuumasõda" (Disco and Nuclear War), "Lisa Limone and Maroc Orange", "Sügisball" (The Autumn Ball), "Loits pimeduse peletamiseks" (A Spell to Fend Off Darkness) whereas "Õlimäe õied" (The Blossoms of Mount Olivet) and "Uus Maailm" (The New World) will be shown in Trondheim.
The official delegation that accompanies the Estonian Head of State also includes the Minister of Culture, Urve Tiidus; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Entrepreneurship, Anne Sulling; members of the Riigikogu, Olga Sõtnik and Margus Hanson; Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture, Paavo Nõgene; Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence, Mikk Marran, CEO of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Toomas Luman.
The business delegation includes Andres Allikmäe (Harju Elekter AS), Allan Aru (Featherie Invest OÜ), Kristi Tiivas, Krister Kalda and Margit Ihlebakke (Enterprise Estonia), Paul Varul and Robert Juodka (Law Office Varul), Raul Järg (Eesti Arhitektuurikeskus/Estonian Centre for Architecture), Kaido Kaare (Kalev AS), Tõnis Kaasik (Ecometal AS), Armin Karu (Olympic Entertainment Group AS), Krõõt Kilvet (FinanceEstonia), Karl Kivi (FEMW OÜ), Hans Pajoma (DNB Bank ASA) and Atle Knai (DNB Pank AS), Tarmo Tamm, Peeter Peedomaa and Erik Konze (Peetri Puit OÜ/ Arcwood), Sven Kotkas (Kinema OÜ), Gunnar Kraft (Sangar AS), Kalev Kõnn (Paroc AS), Andrus Kõresaar (Koko Architects), Seth Lackman (Ericsson Eesti AS/ Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications), Tiina Link and Urmas Lepik (Innovation Norway), Mailis Lintlom (Windoor AS), Aivar Lintnermann (Palmatin AS), Lembit Lump (Kodumaja AS), Sven Mats (Matek AS/Eesti Puitmajaliit), Hellar Mutle (Bestra Engineering AS), Eero Nõgene (Tomra Baltic OÜ / Charity Foundation Aitan Lapsi SA (Helping Children)), Ruth Oltjer (Chemi-Pharm AS), Neeme Org (Aktors OÜ), Meelis Peterson (Glamox HE AS), Jüri Ploom (Law Office Pohla & Hallmägi/Norwegian-Estonian Chamber of Trade), Maarika Pukspuu (TiMO Houses), Jüri Raidla (Raidla Lejins & Norcous), Jüri Rass (EA Reng AS), Kaido Saar (BigBank AS), Anne Samlik (Estravel AS), Argo Saul (Nordic Houses OÜ/ Estonian Woodhouse Association), Ivar Sikk (Aeroc International AS), Alo Tamm (Harmet OÜ), Tõnis Tamme (Pan-Baltic Law Firm Triniti), Alar Tamming (Tavex Group), Aare Tark (Tark Grunte Sutkiene), Tauno Tats (Ambient Sound Investments OÜ), Indrek Tiigi (Allianss Arhitektid OÜ), Eero Tohver (Uptime OÜ), Andres Trink (Merko Ehitus AS), Kristo Tuurmann (Loov / Loodusvägi OÜ), Jaen Uussalu (Plaat Detail OÜ) and Mait Palts and Liis Lehesalu from the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
President Ilves will return to Estonia tomorrow night.
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