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King Harald V: Slovakia Still Veiled in Mystery for Me
Tuesday 26 Octtber 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, October 26 (TASR) - Norway's King Harald V said on Tuesday that he is convinced that his current visit to Slovakia will contribute to deepening relations between the two countries.
The Norwegian King was speaking after meeting Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic in Bratislava.
King Harald said that Slovakia is a country still veiled in mystery for him, as he has never been here before. He believes that over the next three days he will have the opportunity to acquaint himself with its history and the Slovak mentality.
Gasparovic, who is hosting the visit, noted that the Norwegian royal couple's visit to Slovakia is the first of its kind, and said that it is a great honour for Slovaks that King Harald accepted the invitation.
Gasparovic linked the visit to the 100th anniversary of the death of Norwegian writer Bjornstjerne Bjornson, who advocated the rights of small and persecuted nations, including the Slovak one. "So I told His Majesty that just as this anniversary is a big feast for Norwegians, it's also a big feast for Slovaks," said Gasparovic.
The Slovak president praised the financial assistance provided by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, which is set to earmark €80 million for Slovakia over the next three years. Gasparovic further pointed to the importance of Norwegian investments in Slovakia, which have reached €166 million.
The Norwegian King said that he is pleased that he and his wife Sonja will have the opportunity to visit some of the projects that have received support from Norway. He noted that memos on understanding are due to be signed later in the day that will define the priorities of the grants for 2009-14.
The two top state representatives also discussed foreign political issues, such as the participation of Slovak and Norwegian troops in UN and NATO missions, relations with the Balkans, migration and the Roma issue. Concerning alleged discrimination against the Roma in Slovakia, Gasparovic said that if a country resolves a problem individually, there will always be groups that point to violations of civil rights. "So, we must create a common European policy, which will be respected, to prevent such a situation from occurring," said Gasparovic, adding that there is a need to create equal civil room for everyone, and that Norwegian funds can contribute to this.
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