On a whirlwind trip to Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston in March, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and newly appointed United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. But not even these highflyers could match the heights to which Christer Fuglesang soared – on a recent space shuttle mission.
5/3/2007 :: With a Norwegian father and a Swedish mother, Fuglesang became the first “Norwegian” in space, on the Discovery STS-116 mission in December, 2006. The 49-year old astronaut brought a Norwegian flag with him into space, and with his feet firmly back on planet earth placed it in a framed montage with pictures from the mission. Fuglesang handed it over as a gift to Foreign Minister Støre and Ambassador Knut Vollebaek at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Støre asked Fuglesang whether he was ever afraid during his more than 300 orbits around the planet, especially during his space walks. “I was most afraid of making a mistake. Other than that I was not fearful, but did not feel entirely safe either. But it is something you get used to,” Fuglesang said. “That’s how it feels like to be a Foreign Minister too,” Støre responded.
After the chat with astronaut Fuglesang, Støre went straight to a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, followed by a meeting with Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN).
He also hosted a breakfast on the topic “Norway’s perspective on energy security” for members of the “Norway Caucus,” which included co-chair Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chair Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), and Thomas Petri (R-WI).
The Norway Caucus consists of around 50 senators and House representatives interested in nurturing Norwegian-American relations. the caucus was founded in 1999 to strengthen the contacts between Norwegian and U.S. parliamentarians, and to provide a forum for dialogue and exchange of views between U.S. and Norwegian politicians on issues, interests, priorities and policies, bilaterally between Norway and the United States, and globally.
Støre also held three public speeches to students and faculties on his trip: “Norway and the United States: Partners in peace” at Harvard University in Boston, MA, “Meeting Energy Demands and Security Needs – a Norwegian Perspective” at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and “Strengthening the bridges between Norway and Massachusetts in the fields of academia and business” at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology Faculty Club, in Boston, MA.
