“Adaptations and reallocations are necessary in order to ensure that our resources are directed to political and geographical priority areas. Even though we now transforming the Consulates General in Edinburgh and Minneapolis into Honorary Consulates, our extensive interests in the US and the UK will continue to be adequately taken care of,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Regardless of the existence of a Norwegian Consulate General in Minneapolis, the Embassy, together with the many relevant Norwegian institutions, will continue to nurture and strengthen ties between the Upper Midwest and Norway. The Honorary Consulate General will be an effective instrument in providing services to Norwegian citizens and others, and work closely with the Embassy in Washington.
“I am certain that the many activities and human bonds that constitute the relationship between Norway and Minnesota will continue to thrive. The government’s decision does not mean that Minnesota has become politically less important to Norway. Instead, the decision is based on an ongoing discussion on how we most effectively allocate limited resources to meet new international challenges, also in parts of the world where the Norwegian Foreign Service has not been represented up to now,” said Ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen in a letter to Minnesota Governor Pawlenty. “The networks of Norwegian-American organizations, our close bonds and continued engagement from our Embassy in Washington, D.C., make me confident that we will still be visible and active in the Midwest.”
Letter to Governor Pawlenty