Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) used his speech during the celebration of the liberation day on 8 May to remind that there is war again in Europe.
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77 years ago, Nazi Germany’s military forces capitulated. World War II was officially over.
– May 8, 1945, our people could let go of the jubilation and celebrate that five long years of occupation were over, says the Prime Minister in a speech during the celebration at Akershus Fortress on Sunday.
– It is the core of our democracy.
Although the idea of occupation may seem distant in today’s Norway, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that democracy, human rights and freedom of expression are values one must fight for every day, Støre said.
– These are values we can not take for granted that won once and for all. They must be defended again and again, he says.
– An attack on democracy
The attack on Ukraine is contrary to international law, Støre says during the speech.
– The Russian attack is not just an attack on a neighboring state. It is also an attack on democracy. Norway strongly condemns this attack.
– Norway is not a party to this conflict, but we say clearly: Ukraine has the right to defend its people and its independence.
– That is why Norway’s Foreign Minister is while we meet here, in Kyiv to reopen the Norwegian embassy and mark the day there.
The Norwegian embassy in Kyiv closed temporarily on February 24, the same day that Russian forces invaded Ukraine. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor Party) is in place in the Ukrainian capital to reopen the embassy.
Støre to VG: Do not lower the threshold for Norway will be next
– It is a strong political signal, says Støre about the reopening of the embassy to VG after the speech.
– This is Ukraine, a very different country from Norway, but every country in Europe has the right to find a solution to conflicts at the negotiating table, not by war.
– What do you put in that it is Norway’s duty to contribute to help in this conflict?
– It is a choice we must make when a neighboring country is attacked in that way. If we say that, well, well, it was you, but it does not really concern us, then we lower the threshold for this to become Norwegians, says Støre.
– I think history has taught us that great powers can resort to such instruments as going to invasion of a neighboring country. Russia shows here a behavior and a way of dealing with neighborhoods that we as neighbors must mark very clearly against.
– When we now support Ukraine, it is because we support that fight for freedom.
–– A great paradox, when we think about what Russia experienced
Monday, May 9, Russia celebrates “Victory Day”, the day when the Red Army defeated the army of Nazi Germany. The day is an anniversary in the Russian calendar and is celebrated with pomp and splendor all over the country.
There is great tension about what Russian President Vladimir Putin will say during the large-scale military parade on Red Square in Moscow, because it will give an indication of what he is planning in Ukraine.
– What do you want to say to Russians who will mark this day in Norway?
– That Russia marks the end of World War II, I understand very well, says Støre.
– It is a great historical event in that country.
– As if the whole of Norway were to flee
The Soviet Union fought on the side of the Allies during the war, and paid a high human price for its efforts.
Both Russians and Ukrainians served in the Red Army. Millions were killed.
– But the paradox becomes even greater with the fact that they are in a war that has enormous consequences for a neighboring country, says the Prime Minister, and points out that over 5 million Ukrainians have fled since the start of the war.
– It is as if everyone in Norway should leave the country in these three months, says the Prime Minister.
– That Russia is now responsible for it, it is a big, big paradox, when we think about what Russia experienced then.
At the same time as Støre speaks at Akershus Fortress, Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting a fierce battle for control of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol – the last bulwark before Russia can declare full control of the strategically important Ukrainian port city.
In an interview with VG, the last remaining Ukrainian soldiers frolicking inside the steelworks say that they has no plans to surrender.
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