The tone was set from the start when the Malaysian-Norwegian Forum of Competence was officially opened this morning.
As soon as His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon took the stage, he started off by thanking Malaysia and the people he has met here for the experiences they have given him and the Crown Princess. After a brief talk about how the visit has lived up to their expectations, he quickly moved on to the topic that is the whole purpose of the Royal Visit to Malaysia: the strong bond and business relationship that has existed between Norway and Malaysia for 42 years. He said, among other things, that he hopes that the increasingly strong relationship between Malaysia and Norway will continue to grow and that the seminar will open the doors to many new business opportunities.
The words of the Crown Prince were supported by the Norwegian Minister of Trade Mr. Trond Giske, who used a Malaysian proverb to illustrate the purpose of the conference and strong cooperation between the two countries.
“Where there is water, there is fish,” he said and added that because there is a lot of water in Malaysia (metaphorically speaking), there is also a great potential for catching a lot of fish.
He also encouraged the more than 130 business delegates to be creative and think of new business opportunities that are beyond the obvious.
Focus on common interests
Throughout the day, there was put great emphasis on the things Norway and Malaysia have in common.
Both countries have long coastal lines and their oil and gas industries are thriving. At the same time, both have experience with tunnel digging as well as the defense and security industry. During his opening speech at the business seminar, the Crown Prince said that he hopes that Malaysia and Norway will be able to provide each other with complimenting technology and knowledge on the fields of interest that they have in common.
However, in order to put even more focus on the things they have in common, that are neither political nor business related, His Royal Highness also visited the Berjaya University College of Hospitality where he witnessed a Norwegian seafood competition.
The love for seafood is one of the many things that Norwegians and Malaysians share. The competition was a unique opportunity to let the two different cultures meet and apparently the combination of Norway and Malaysia is a delicious one. In any case, Crown Prince Haakon seemed to like it and the fusion appeared to be a good illustration of the successful outcome of the royal visit that both countries are expecting.
Other reports:
Bernama: Norway, Malaysia Have Joint Potential In Aquaculture Industry
Bernama: Norwegian Companies Invited To Increase Their Investments In Malaysia
New Strait Times Pre-visit interview: Giving women chance to go up
Bernama: Malaysia, Norway Discuss Possibility Of Joint Declaration For FTA
Kongehuset.no:
Reports in Norwegian press:
Aftonbladet.no: Kronprinsessen ytret meninger om likestilling
Her & Na: Haakon røpet ikke favoritt-fisken
Aftonbladet.no: Norske priser til malaysiske studenter
Aftonposten.no: Kaster glans for Giske
Nettavisen: Se Haakon og Mette-Marits luksus
