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Norway

Norway’s State Visit to Argentina – Day 3

The first day of the tour was used for political talks. Yesterday the King and Queen honoured the victims of the dictatorship. The last day of the State Visit was used to focus more on Norwegian-Argentinian business, but also Argentinian culture. The King and Queen have used this day to focus on the Norwegian airline Norwegian Air Shuttle which is heavily involved in the Argentine market.

To mark this, Her Majesty the Queen participated in a ceremony where she band together two ties designed as the Norwegian and Argentine flag. Norwegian Air Argentina, owned by Norwegian Air Shuttle, plans to launch both domestic and international flights from Argentina. In December 2017, the Argentinian Aviation Authority approved the launch of 153 Norwegian routes from Argentina.

Queen Sonja binds the Norwegian and Argentine flag together. Photo: Vera Rosemberg / On the courtesy of Norwegian Air Argentina Press Office.

The ceremony was held in Ezeiza to present his first aircraft in the country, a Boeing 737-800. Also present were relatives of the musician Astor Piazzolla, whose image illustrates the plane’s tail, in line with the company’s tradition of paying tribute to local personalities. The event was also attended by the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen; the chief of staff of the Argentine Ministry of Transport, Pedro Sorop; the Norwegian Ambassador in Buenos Aires, Jostein Leiro; the Argentine Ambassador in Oslo, Betina Fonseca; and the CEO of Norwegian Air Argentina, Ole Christian Melhus.

In his speech CEO Bjørn Kjos was enthusiastic about participating in the current process of development of the aeronautical market in the country: “We have the clear objective of creating economic value, just as we did 15 years ago in Norway, when we started flying. Argentina perfectly fulfils our expansion plans, since it represents a huge market with fabulous people and great potential. ”

The queen has had an active role during the state visit. Photo: Tom Hansen / Innovation Norway via Flickr.

Before departure, there was time for a final cultural event. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen attended a gauchos performance, which is Argentine cowboys.

The Norwegian magazine Se og Hør could reveal this week that King Harald and Queen Sonja had a vacation in a luxurious villa in Uruguay in the weeks before they started their state visit to Argentina. This helped the monarchs with the opportunity to get used to the time difference that is between Norway and South America. The transition back will very abrupt as the King and Queen travel right back to Oslo. This weekend they will be at the traditional ski weekend that is organised every year in the capital. Almost every member of the Royal Family are expected to Holmenkollen this weekend.

Next time there is a State Visit to Norway, King Harald and Queen Sonja will receive the president of Slovakia in a State Visit to Oslo in early June.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.