Thorvald Stoltenberg to be made honorary citizen of Belgrade

BELGRADE - The Belgrade City Council adopted and forwarded to the City Assembly the proposal to declare prominent Norwegian politician Thorvald Stoltenberg an honorary citizen of the Serbian capital.

The initiative was launched by President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence Sonja Licht, the city's press service said in a release on Thursday.

Stoltenberg served as secretary of the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade in the 1960's. He is a former foreign minister and minister of defense of the Kingdom of Norway, and a longtime president of the Norwegian Red Cross. He served as Norwegian ambassador to the UN, the UN's chief peace negotiator in the Balkans, and high commissioner for refugees.

Although he is no longer in politics, Stoltenberg frequently participates in cultural events dedicated to Serbia, and the Norwegian public recognizes him as a great friend of our country, the release states.

Stoltenberg described his experiences related to the conflict in the Balkans in two books 'Det handler om mennesker' (It's all about people) and 'De tusen dagene, fredsmeklere pa Balkan' (Thousand days, peace mediators in the Balkans).

The Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Serbia have long built a bond of friendship and established close political, cultural and economic cooperation. Over the past 15 years, Norway has been one of the largest donors of investment aid to Serbia, the release states.

Photo Tanjug, D. Peternek (illustration)