The celebration took place at the beautiful premises of the new Norwegian residence in Zagreb, where Ambassador Terje Hauge and his wife Berit Slinning Hauge opened their doors to more than 200 special invited guests. The reception marked the double celebration of Norway’s constitution day, the 17th of May, and the formal opening of the new residence.
The Norwegian Embassy was especially honoured to welcome state secretary Elisabeth Walaas, who flew all the way from Oslo to participate on this very special occasion. Seeing as Ms. Walaas is the former ambassador to Croatia, it was a great pleasure to be able to celebrate this very special day together.
Approximately 250 guests attended the Norwegian celebration. The guest list included representatives from the government of Croatia, the civil society, international organizations, members of the diplomatic corps, Norwegian residents in Croatia and other friends and colleagues of the Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb.
Following the national anthems of Croatia and Norway, the guests were welcomed with a speech from the Norwegian Ambassador Terje Hauge. Director Harald Unstad, from the Norwegian Government agency Statsbygg, followed with a few words concerning the new residence. Mr. Unstad thereafter handed over a symbolic key to Ms. Walaas who at the end of her speech formally declared the new Norwegian residence for open.
After the formal opening all the guest were welcomed to enjoy a standing buffet offering a wide selection of food and drinks.
The 17th of May is the national day of Norway where all Norwegians celebrate the country’s constitution that was adopted in 1814. The Norwegian embassy truly appreciated the company of all the guests that came to celebrate this very special occasion with us.