Dinner with the Governor, Rio de Janeiro

Governor,
Distinguished guests,

The Queen and I would like to thank you Mrs. Governor, for your kind words and for this wonderful opportunity to be here in the beautiful Palace of Laranjeiras tonight.

Our visit to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro is coming to an end, and I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the warm reception we have received here in this marvellous city - “The City of the Cariocas”, as you call it yourselves. It is a city the Queen and I have already grown to appreciate, having spent our honeymoon here 35 years ago. We also feel a special connection to the city since my sister, Princess Ragnhild, and Erling Lorentzen have been living here with their family for fifty years.

To many Norwegians, Rio de Janeiro is the very symbol of Brazil: beautiful scenery, lively music, and a warm and tolerant population with a positive attitude to life. But Rio is much more than this. It is also a modern industrial city with a rich and vibrant cultural life. I am sure this is one of the reasons why the largest Norwegian colony in Brazil is to be found in Rio.

One of the main purposes of our visit to Brazil and to Rio has been to further develop and strengthen the ties between our two countries and peoples. I am confident that through the many meetings and events that have been held here this week we have achieved this. I am also convinced that together we have managed to create new opportunities that will bear fruit in the future.

Governor,
There is a long tradition of commercial relations between Norway and Brazil, particularly Rio de Janeiro. Shipping and the trade in bacalhau go back many years, and more recently we have seen exciting developments in the oil and gas industry and shipbuilding, as more and more Norwegian companies establish themselves here. Yesterday’s christening of a ship at the Promar Shipyard in Niteroi is a good example of the new trend. I feel confident that we will see more Norwegian investments in Rio in the future. Our visit to PETROBRAS and the meetings arranged in FIRJAN yesterday provide a good basis for further commercial contacts between the Brazilian and Norwegian business communities.

Fortunately, our contact goes both ways. Brazil and Rio de Janeiro also have extensive interests in Norway. Not long ago, a large delegation from Rio – led by State Secretary Wagner Victer, who I know is here tonight, – visited various cities in Norway, with the intention of further developing our bilateral relations.

Yesterday, The Queen and I had the pleasure of opening an impressive exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. It includes works by both young and established Norwegian and Brazilian artists, and is aptly titled “Art in Dialogue”. The intention behind this encounter between Norwegian and Brazilian artists is to encourage a dialogue that will continue long after this particular exhibition is over. I am happy to say that there are plans to show the same works next year in Norway. This will be in Stavanger, a city with which I know Rio de Janeiro has close relations.

The Queen and I would like to thank you, Mrs Governor for this splendid dinner and for this unique opportunity to meet distinguished representatives of the Cariocan community. May I propose a toast to you, Mrs Governor and your husband, and to the future of the people of Rio de Janeiro.