Norway celebrates National Day
The parade walks through the communities and makes stops at old people's home and war memorials. In Oslo, the children parade passes by the royal palace where the royal family greets them from the balcony. During the parade, various marching bands are playing the national anthem "Ja vi elsker dette landet" (which means: yes, we love this country) and other patriotic hymns. People wear traditional outfits called "bunad" and shout "Hurra!" sing and blow whistles.
Another aspect of the celebration is the "russ" which is the name of the graduates from high school. They celebrate the end of 10 years at school with parties lasting from the 1st to the 17th of May. They also form their own parade.
The rule of law, freedom of expression and electoral power were central in the Constitution adopted on May 17th 1814. These values have helped make Norway the country it is today, and these are values Norwegians try to promote also internationally.
Speaking about Norway- Kazakhstan relations we need to note that from the very beginning they were friendly. But in recent years they are developing in a very progressive manner in all aspects of bilateral cooperation political and business as well.
Despite the fact that the Norwegian Embassy was officially opened only in February, there have been a lot of important events in Kazakh-Norwegian relations.
The most important of these events was the formal opening of the embassy where HRH Crown Prince Haakon and Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre attended. During the visit the Crown Prince and Støre held meetings with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Massimov.
Norway and Kazakhstan cooperate in fields such as education, non-proliferation and the petroleum industry, the latter more specifically through long-term cooperation between the two national oil and gas companies Statoil and KazMynaiGaz.
Norway and Kazakhstan have many similarities. Norway has always got a substantial part of the income from the ocean, whether from traditional industries like fisheries and shipping or from modern days' oil and gas. Norwegian experience in these fields can be an important contribution to Kazakhstan.
For example, Norway's production of petroleum offshore is about 60 % less carbon intensive than the global average. Strict environmental regulations and CO2 tax have contributed to this. Additionally, revenues from Norwegian oil and gas activity are invested in a government pension fund, ensuring that the country's petroleum wealth will benefit future generations. The fund finances long-term investments in solid companies throughout the world. Openness and ethical considerations are cornerstones in the fund's investment strategy.