Ministers,
Fellow MPs,
Distinguished delegates,

It’s an honour and a pleasure for me to open the Tenth Barents Parliamentary Conference, hosted by the Storting.

As President of the Storting, I’d have liked to welcome you to the fascinating city of Kirkenes, the Norwegian Barents capital, close to the borders of Russia and Finland. But the pandemic has forced us – like so many others – to hold our conference online this year.

That said, I’m convinced we will still be able to address many topics of great interest and importance to our Barents cooperation. And I’m indeed happy to welcome you all to this digital conference live streamed from the Storting!

Dear conference participants,

The Barents cooperation has a special place in the heart of many Norwegians, especially for those who live in the North. Building on centuries of contacts and trade, the current Barents cooperation started in 1993. Through practical cooperation and cross-border contacts, we build trust and friendship between neighbours in the north. With the regions as the driving force, we have reduced obstacles and found new ways to build partnerships between people and countries.  Cooperation is and should be the language of the Barents region.

This ground-breaking collaboration has made other regions in the world look north. They have looked for inspiration from an innovative regional collaboration. One which has managed to create a diverse range of contacts between people who share a geographical region divided by national borders. On Norwegian television we have followed the ice hockey team “Kirkenes Puckers” and their participation in the “Barents Hockey League”. A group of true enthusiasts who last year were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to build friendship between hockey players in the region.

Dear colleagues,

Promoting trust in democratic institutions is one of my priorities as President of the Storting. In this regard, children and young people are especially important. I believe in engaging young people in democracy. I want to help them understand democratic principles and institutions. Direct contact and dialogue helps us to build trust in elected officials and the foundation for strong democratic governance in the future. This is why I spend so much time visiting schools and meeting young people in Norway.

I’m therefore delighted that the Barents Regional Youth Council has a central role in our program today. I believe we can see a trend, both nationally and internationally, towards increasing young people’s involvement in policymaking. Let me give you two examples:

At the beginning of June, 19 recommendations on biodiversity were submitted to the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. No less than 3000 young people from all over the Nordic region were involved in making these recommendations. I’ve no doubt that the presentation of this work in today’s conference will be invaluable for our continuing work in the field.

When the Norwegian Government presented its new white paper on the Arctic last November, a Youth Panel was set up to make recommendations. These now form an appendix to the white paper.

Together we must explore new ways of working together. Find meaningful ways of working together towards a better and more sustainable common future. This will both benefit international cooperation and strengthen our democratic institutions.

Dear friends,

The Barents region is also home for many of the Saami People. This last year we have lived under highly unusual circumstances, with closed national borders because of the pandemic. This has been a deeply trying situation for all those who have friends and relatives across the border. Yet I understand that it’s been especially tough on the Saami population; a people of the whole Barents region, whose home area is divided among four nations.

I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I really look forward to travelling more freely between our countries again. It will be good for our mental health to meet the people we care about. But I fear that the various health repercussions of the pandemic will be with us for many years.

I’m so pleased to see that health is high on the agenda of the Norwegian chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, and one of the main items for today’s conference. The pandemic has amplified the already serious problem of the mental health of our populations. Cooperation and bringing people together are some of the best ways to improve this. Furthermore, I’m convinced that the increased collaboration on e-health will benefit the people living in the north.

Dear delegates,

The heartbeat of the Barents cooperation is the people. The founding father of the Barents cooperation, Mr Thorvald Stoltenberg, understood this when he initiated the cooperation. He wanted everyday people to get to know each other. Young and old, meeting to exchange knowledge, to sing in a choir, to compete in sports or to do business. And much more.

Our task as parliamentarians is to prepare the ground so that this cooperation can continue to grow and prosper in the future.

I wish you all an engaging and successful conference.

Thank you for your attention.