President Pahor and King Harald V discuss specific joint projects for sustainable development on second day of Norway visit

At the invitation of King Harald V of Norway, President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor is on a state visit to Norway.

President Pahor and the Norwegian royal couple began the second day of the visit by going to the SINTEF Institute, one of the biggest independent European research organisations. They took part in a Slovenian-Norwegian business and science meeting on the topic of artificial intelligence, the green transition to a circular economy and sustainable solutions. The event was attended by a number of representatives of the Slovenian and Norwegian business sectors and research institutions. President Pahor and the royal couple saw the conclusion of a memorandum of cooperation between the SINTEF Institute and the Jožef Stefan Institute signed by the Director of the JSI, Professor Dr Jadran Lenarčič, and the Director of SINTEF, Alexandra Bech Gjørv .

They then went on to visit the Holmenkollen Ski Centre. President Pahor and the King of Norway also opened an exhibition at the Ski Museum focusing on Slovenian architecture in the Alps, which includes the Planica Nordic Centre. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with the museum in Holemenkollen, the Dessa Gallery in Ljubljana and the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana. Its aim is to bring together architects from both countries and illustrate the strong bond of Nordic skiing that connects Slovenia and Norway.


Photo: Royal House of Norway

This was followed by an official lunch for President Pahor, the royal couple and the Crown Prince, hosted on behalf of the Government of Norway by the Minister of Digitalisation, Nikolai Astrup.

As part of the state visit, the BI Norwegian Business School hosted a seminar in the afternoon discussing the promotion of bee-keeping and the role of pollinators in sustainable food processing. On the occasion, President Pahor gifted the King of Norway a Slovenian apiary with painted beehive panels. Both Slovenia and Norway have a strong beekeeping tradition and are major promotors of the important role of bees and other pollinators.


Photo: Royal House of Norway

President Pahor's two-day state visit to Norway will conclude with a special event, a "Slovenian Night", at the Gamle Logen Palace. The event is co-organised by the Slovenian Tourist Board and will be aimed at the general and tourist promotion of Slovenia, featuring a presentation of typical Slovenian wines and cuisine and a performance by a Slovenian-Norwegian tailor-made band, with ®an Tetičkovič on drums, Marko Črnčec on the piano, Ana Bezjak, vocals, and Eivind Opsvik on double bass, coordinated by the Dominican Monastery – Congress and Cultural Centre of Ptuj. The event will also be attended by King Harald V, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus.


Below is the toast by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor at lunch hosted by the Minister of Digitalisation. The spoken word applies.