Political Quotes

“I rise to mark the new security cooperation agreement through the Department of Defense's State Partnership Program between the Minnesota National Guard and the Kingdom of Norway, which will be celebrated in Minnesota on Saturday, February 4, 2023. This partnership will provide a key avenue to deter aggression and assist in both of our nation's national security while broadening and deepening our long-standing relationship. Norway has been critical to Minnesota's heritage and culture ever since the first Norwegian settlement was established in Spring Grove back in the early 1850s, a few years before Minnesota officially became a State. Today, Minnesota is the proud home of more than 860,000 Norwegian Americans. Some of our most beloved Minnesotans have been of Norwegian ancestry, including my late friend and mentor, Vice President Walter Mondale. At the end of last year, we had the honor of welcoming Her Majesty Queen Sonja to Minneapolis to celebrate the opening of Norway House's new Innovation and Cultural Center. In addition to our cultural heritage, Minnesota and Norway share a strong, time-tested military relationship. In 1973, Norwegian Home Guard's Major General Herluf Nygaard invited the chief of the National Guard, Major General Francis S. Greenlief, to visit their Home Guard. What came out of that meeting was the Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange, also known as NOREX.…”