BRATISLAVA, October 28, (WEBNOVINY) — King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will visit the Slovak historical gold mining town of Banska Stiavnica at the end of their state visit to Slovakia. Town’s Mayor Pavol Balzanka will welcome the Norwegian royal couple accompanied by Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic and his wife Silvia Gasparovicova in the well-known mining town, which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The program of King Harald V and Queen Sonja during their visit corresponds with efforts to promote Slovakia in its best light, as well as the royal couple’s interest in visiting projects that have received financial support from Norwegian money via the Norway Funds including reconstructed archive of the Slovak Mining Museum and restored local brewery. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Store have signed an agreement on the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism as part of the ongoing visit. The agreement designates EUR 80.75 million that will flow as grant aid to Slovakia between 2009 and 2014. The sources from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EUR 38.35 million) and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (EUR 42.4 million) granted to Slovakia are to be used in environmental areas and fight against climate change, specifically for flood prevention or carbon capture and storage. Other priorities include elimination of domestic violence, enhancement of civic society, improvement in social dialogue, grants and cross-border cooperation.
King Harald V and Queen Sonja arrived in Slovakia for their first official visit on October 25. Their program started by a reception at the presidential palace in Bratislava. Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulik also met with King Harald accompanied by Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Store. The visit of the Norwegian royal couple is the sixteenth official visit of a monarch or a member of a royal family in Slovakia since 1989.
SITA