Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh celebrates national day in style

RIYADH: The Norwegian Embassy celebrated their national day with a number of VIP guests, including a member of the royal family, senior diplomats and business leaders, gathered at the official residence of the Norwegian ambassador Oyvind Stokke on Sunday.
Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar represented the Saudi government at the colorful celebrations.
He said: “It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Norwegian Embassy, and to our national day. I am glad to see so many Norwegians on the grounds. Compared to other nationalities, there are a few Norwegians in Saudi Arabia, around 50 people or so, but our network of brothers and sisters, friends, supporters and partners is wide.
“Therefore, because of you, Norway enjoys excellent relations with the Kingdom, since they were officially established back in 1961, in oil and gas, tourism and many other sectors,” the envoy noted.
Elated on hearing the Norwegian national anthem, he said it is often played during the Winter Olympics, more seldom in the World Cup. The song was first performed more than 160 years ago, in secret, as at that time Norway was in a union with Sweden, and we were not supposed to have a national song or other national symbols. It was written by Bjornstjerne Bjornson, who later became the first Norwegian Nobel laureate.
“Our National Day is our Constitution Day. The three colors mark the day, as we can see in the Norwegian flag, as in many other flags. In Norway, with these colors white, blue and red, we often see white as in snow, blue as the ocean, and red as the color of many farmhouse buildings. The flag is our landscape, our story,” he said.
Norway’s constitution is 204 years old, one of the oldest in the world. It laid the foundations of a parliament, for power sharing, and for civil rights.
On the national day, we also honor the Kingdom of Norway, our royal family, and I have the pleasure of reading an email message from Norway’s King and Queen, the envoy said, reading the message of peace, harmony and best wishes.
He also took this opportunity to share his ideas on Norway tourism.
“At many places in Norway, we feel that we live in a postcard. Yes, we are lucky. Well, join us, reach for the sky as you can find details on travel brochures available here.

Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh celebrates national day in style