The Norwegian Ambassador Her Excellency Mari Skåre visited Sligo on Tuesday 26th October and was welcomed to the offices of Sligo County Council by Cathaoirleach Councillor Paul Taylor.
Norwegian Ambassador visits Sligo
Norwegian Ambassador visits Sligo
The Norwegian Ambassador Mari Skåre is welcomed to County Hall (Left-Right) Dymphna Gorman, President Sligo Town Twinning; Martin Lydon, Chief Executive, Sligo County Council; Councillor Paul Taylor, Cathaoirleach: Ambassador Skåre; Mayor Councillor Arthur Gibbons; Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady
The Cathaoirleach was accompanied by Mayor Councillor Arthur Gibbons, Chair of Sligo County Council’s Town Twinning Committee Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady, Chief Executive Martin Lydon and President of Sligo Town Twinning Dymphna Gorman.
European model
In his address, the Cathaoirleach said ‘While on the surface there would appear to be little in common between Norway and Sligo, there are many issues to unite us. We share a commitment to the European model, Ireland being a member of the EU, Norway through active involvement in the European Economic Area. While our remote location on Europe's western frontier offers unique challenges, we believe connectivity is one of our key assets.
Regional development
A week ago we welcomed our Taoiseach to Sligo to formally open a major roads project, the largest capital project delivered by our Authority, with the prospect of other significant investment on the horizon. This week Sligo hosts the Northern Periphery Artic Conference, the first time it has had this privilege. Anyone with an interest in rural or regional development or EU Funding will find this conference very beneficial.
Sustainable communities
In addition to the formal conference programme, a major benefit of this forum is the informal networking that develops between communities with similar ambitions, whether they are located in Norway, Finland, Iceland or Ireland. It is this networking that underpins our Council's Twinning programme, with numerous exchange visits between Sligo and our twins in Kempten and Crozon across a range of endeavour. The vision presented in the Northern Periphery Programme is to foster vibrant, competitive and sustainable communities. It is a vision we can subscribe to, and we look forward to working with our partner agencies and international friends to deliver on our agreed agenda.
Developing links
One tangible objective of this alliance is the ambition develop robust and competitive regional airports, which can only enhance the potential of Ireland West Airport, Knock. The alliance I referred to will see Ireland and Norway working closely together on a range of initiatives, which will provide the opportunity to establish important links between our respective communities.’
Cathaoirleach Councillor Paul Taylor makes a presentation to Norwegian Ambassador Mari Skåre