Gov. Walz welcomes Norwegian Queen Sonja to Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday welcomed Queen Sonja of Norway to the Minnesota Capitol for the 49th anniversary celebration of the state’s National Guard exchange program with the Norwegian Home Guard.
State officials and Minnesota National Guard leaders filled the governor’s reception room at the Capitol Thursday morning for the brief ceremony. They displayed for the queen and members of the Norwegian delegation historic gifts and items exchanged between Minnesota and Norway.
Queen Sonja is set to spend several days in Minnesota as part of her latest visit. It is her fourth trip to the state and her latest since 2011. She is also expected to visit St. Olaf College and the opening of Norway House’s Innovation and Culture Center during her stay.
The governor noted that several well-known Minnesotans came from Norway or had Norwegian ancestry. He thanked the Norwegian delegation for partnering with Minnesota in trade, National Guard training and in shared values.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
“There are at least 900,000 Minnesotans who show their ancestry back to Norway, the importance of those cultural ties cannot be understated in Minnesota,” Walz said. “The people of Minnesota take great pride in this relationship. We take great pride in the accomplishments, from the arts, to the sciences and to economics that Norwegian Minnesotans have added.”
The troop exchange program between Minnesota and Norway dates back to 1976 and is the longest-running military partnership between two nations. As part of the exchange program, 100 members of the Minnesota National Guard travel to Norway each year to train and 100 Norwegian Home Guard members come to Minnesota to train at Camp Ripley.
“This program directly supports one of the Minnesota National Guard's organizational priorities: maintaining strong partnerships but it also supports our number one priority, which is people first,” said Minnesota National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General Lowell Kruse.
“(It creates) a life-changing experience for our soldiers and airmen to travel to Norway and experience Norway's beauty, the vibrant culture of its people, and often trace the roots of their ancestors who left Norway for a new life and Minnesota,” he continued.
Members of the Norwegian delegation also noted how important the exchange program was to their country. They said they appreciated that Norwegian people and Minnesotans valued so many of the same issues, including climate change, health care, trade and human rights.
Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Krutnes said they would get the front row seat to learn about sustainability during their visit to St. Olaf.
“The students we will meet there are part of the new generation that will help us build a sustainable future — a new set of values that will be shared between the United States and Norway, as well as Minnesota and Norway,” Krutnes said. “May our great friendship continue.”