Norwegian Prime Minister: - Coming to Bodø is like coming home

Two weeks ago the High North Center put on the second largest international conference in Northern Norway. High North Dialogue 2023: Spaces of Opportunities gathered together over 600 people from 50 different nations. Most of them showed up physically in Bodø, but around 200 were following the conference online.

World wide interest

- This indicates the interest for the High North (Arctic) and the importance of having good dialogues about what happens in the Arctic both now and in the future, says director of the High North Center, Frode Mellemvik.

In his speech, Jonas Gahr Støre said Bodø was like coming home:

Let me be very direct and honest; for me coming to Bodø is like coming home, politically, in my heart and in my mind.

I have a fellow here, with whom I served in the navy, and we learned how to navigate radar navigation; that means that you have no screen. It was done in the port of Bodø, and we were told that if we continued that way, you would end up somewhere in the mountains with your ship. So, that was learning hard lessons for a young sailor.

Støre continued by remarking that a dialogue has a mission, namely, to go further together and unleash resources and activities. Dialogue can be inclusive, dialogue can be a multiplier, and we need that. You can read the entire speech online.

- We appreciated very much that the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, opened the High North Dialogue, and also that many took part in the dialogues, says Mellemvik.

Video and photos

The entire main part of the conference, including the Prime Minister's speech, was recorded. All the recordings can be seen in this playlist on the High North Center's YouTube account:

You can also see photos from the entire conference in this photo album on flickr:

Program

For more details about the program, contents, Side Events and other information, please visit the conference homepage.

Media

The media was present and here are some of the most important articles that were published during the conference:

• Dagbladet: – Ut mot rapporter, gir ingen mening
• Dagbladet: Fikk russisk rapport, uanmeldt
• High North News: Norway MFA: “Russia Has Neither Been Expelled nor Withdrawn From the Arctic Council
• High North News: High North Hero 2023: Diane Hirshberg’s Message to the Youth: There is Space For Every Young Person to Make a Difference
• High North News: Norwegian Eagle AI Wins the High North Young Entrepreneur Award
• High North News: Norway’s Prime Minister: “We Have To Take Care Of the Dialogue In The High North”
• High North News: Kina vil støtte Norge i arbeidet med å få Arktisk råd opp på fote
• High North News: Kina vil støtte Norge i arbeidet med å få Arktisk råd opp på fote
• High North News: Kraftspørsmål i nord: – Vi må unngå å utarme Øst-Finnmark
• Avisa Nordland: Kina vil aldri sette Russlands interesser foran sine egne, ei heller i Arktis