In celebration of the Kingdom of Norway’s Constitution Day, an official reception was organized at the residence of the Norwegian Ambassador on Wednesday, May 17th. This prestigious event was graced with the attendance of an impressive assembly of esteemed guests
“This celebration is not only related to national identity and tradition. For Norwegians, this day is also about democratic values and their role in shaping our future in a constantly changing world”, said H.E. Jørn Eugene Gjelstad, Ambassador of Norway to Serbia.
Given that yesterday’s celebration was the last celebration of Constitution Day during his mandate in Serbia, Ambassador Gjelstad briefly reflected on all the important events and successful cooperation between the two countries in the past period. Among other things, he mentioned important Norwegian-Serbian projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, the regional international conference in the field of energy, the visit of President Aleksandar Vučić to Norway in November last year, the initiatives of the Nordic embassies in the area of the circular economy and the green agenda and announced the visit of the Norwegian Minister of Defence in the fall of this year.
In his speech, the ambassador once again expressed his sincere regret for the recent tragic events – mass murders in the “Vladislav Ribnikar” elementary school, and around Mladenovac and Smederevo and announced the active participation of Norwegian experts in the field of mass trauma, violence, and psycho-social therapies in working with the team experts from Serbia. He then called for a minute of silence in memory and honour of the victims, their families, and friends.
The reception began with the performance of the Norwegian and Serbian national anthems. Then the String Quartet of the Belgrade Philharmonic performed Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite. As the celebration unfolded, guests were further delighted by the rhythmic melodies of Milovan Paunovic‘s jazz quartet.
Yesterday, Norway celebrated 209 years since the adoption of the Constitution in 1814.
