State visit to the Argentine Republic: Welcome at official dinner

Ministers
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen

The Queen and I have enjoyed some wonderful days here in Buenos Aires. We have been met with warm-hearted generosity and genuine hospitality. Tonight, we hope to return some of this hospitality and to show you some of the gratitude we feel for the reception we have been given in Argentina.

As you may have noticed, we have brought a bit of Norway with us for you to experience this evening. Our countries might be far from each other on the map, but we still have quite a few things in common – including our ties to Antarctica. On your way to this festive table, you were able to walk through the ice – and later this evening you will experience an exciting performance by some very talented artists from our two countries.

The paths of Argentina and Norway cross at several places along the long lines of history.

Many of us in Norway have grown up with colourful stories of brave adventurers who set out across the seas. Some were whalers and some were explorers. Many of them sailed to Argentina – and some returned home with tales of the blue ice of Antarctica.

Building on all that we share from the past, I am confident that our common future will give rise to new stories of success and adventure. And I hope some of these new stories have already started during this visit.

The large Norwegian delegation shows the great interest in the opportunities to be found in Argentina. As a result of this visit, our political and economic cooperation will be further strengthened. In addition, it has paved the way for closer collaboration in Antarctica. This is crucial if we are to understand the effects of climate change on the environment and ecosystems. We need scientific partnerships of this kind. Not just for the benefit of our countries, but for all humankind.

During our visit, we have seen, heard and tasted Argentina. We came here with images and stories from the past. Argentina’s great author, Borges, famously said that: "The original is unfaithful to the translation."

I think he was right. For us, the original – the real Argentina of the present – has been even better than the "translation" – our imagined Argentina.

So, dear guests, a warm welcome to all of you. I hope we will have a nice evening together.