Nordic Council of Ministers points to importance of cooperation with Northern Germany

Per Unckle, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers points to importance of cooperation with Northern Germany.

It is high on the Nordic agenda to exploit the Baltic Sea Region’s great potential.

Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Per Unckel, paid visits to leading politicians in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, 28-29 November, in order to forge closer links with the German part of the Baltic Sea Region. The visits were organised in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

“Utilising the great potential that exists in the Baltic Sea Region is a top Nordic political priority. The Nordic countries have worked closely with the three Baltic States since they reasserted their independence in 1991. Closer collaboration with North-West Russia has also evolved over the same period. Poland and Germany are also important partners when it comes to the development of the Baltic Sea Region. The north of Germany bound the region together back in the days of the Hanseatic League, so it gives me great pleasure to forge closer contacts with leading politicians from the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein today.”

The Secretary General’s visit started in Hamburg, where his itinerary included meetings with Secretary of State Reinhard Stuth, who is responsible for foreign affairs in the Senate. On Wednesday morning he met with the Mayor of Hamburg, Ole von Beust, in city hall.

Unckel then continued to Kiel, where the federal parliament and government of Schleswig-Holstein are based. He met with the State Premier, Peter Harry Carstensen, the head of the ruling CDU group in the parliament, Johann Wadephul, and Dieter Austermann, who is Minister for Business, Research and Transport.
Source: Nordic News Weekly

See also : Per Unckle, 3 minuttes video on” The Baltic Sea region has enormous potential”