31/05/2005 :: Norway is an old nation, but a young State. More than 1100 years ago, Harold Fairhair overcame his Viking rivals to became the first King of the whole of Norway. King Olav (known as Saint Olav) brought Christianity to Norway some 100 years later. The Vikings founded many settlements in Britain, France, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland and reached America about 500 years before Columbus. After a period of internal feuding and the effect of the plague called the Black Death, which wiped out two-thirds of Norway's population, the country came under Danish rule in a union which lasted from 1380 until 1814.
After defeat in war, the Danish king ceded Norway to Sweden. The Norwegians had, however, by that time regained enough strength and purpose to establish their own National Assembly, the Storting. The Norwegian Constitution – the oldest constitution still in force in Europe – was adopted on May 17, 1814. Noray retained its Storting when it entered into union with Sweden, and it was the Storting which dissolved this union in 1905 by unanimous vote.
The partition of Norway from Sweden 100 years ago was a peaceful reflection of growing national identity and Norway’s viability as a State. Serving a growing international merchant fleet became a decisive factor, as Norway demanded its own Foreign and Consular service. Even today, shipping remains a mainstay of the Norwegian economy. The world’s third largest merchant fleet is run by Norwegians.
Norway has been blessed with rich natural resources. Waterfalls and snow-capped mountains supply ample hydroelectricity, Norwegian waters are rich in fish and under the ocean bed the Norwegians have found oil and natural gas. Norway is among the top 5 oil exporters in the world, and oil and gas activities constitute more than a third of the Norwegian economy.
These blessings seem to have instilled in Norwegians a sense of duty and solidarity. The decision to spend 1% of our GNP on grants for development cooperation has good support among Norwegians. Norway is the largest contributor per capita to the UN, and this small nation of 4,5 million people is the fifth largest contributor to the UN development activities in absolute terms.
Neither management of natural resources nor securing peace and economic growth can be done without regard for the interdependence of nations. Speaking on the occation of celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17, Ambassador Kanavin emphasised that “ The future of our own people is interlinked with others. Norwegian development cooperation with Pakistan reflects the fact that it is in our interest to support Pakistan in achieving its own goals for development. Combating poverty through strenghtening primary education and good governance including improving respect for Human Rights are the mainstays of this cooperation.”
The influx of immigrants in the 1960’s and early ‘70’s laid the foundation for the present Pakistani community in Norway. Nearly 30.000 Norwegians have Pakistani background, and most of them live in the capital Oslo. Pakistanis constitute the largest ethnically non-Norwegian group in Norway. The first elected Member of Parliament in Norway not to have an ethnic Norwegian background is a young Pakistani woman.
Commercial and other people-to-people relations are also playing a growing part in the Pakistani-Norwegian relationship, highlighted by the recent launch of Telenor’s mobile services in Pakistan. The commitment of this Norwegian company to the Pakistani market is not only manifested through its investment of USD 1 bn. over the coming five to seven years, but by the fact that this is the first market outside Norway where Telenor launches its services under its own brandname.