Spotlight Norway: Q&A with Keith McBean, Ambassador of Ireland to Norway & Iceland

When did you take up your post as Ireland's Ambassador to Norway and Iceland and can you tell us a little about your background?

 I arrived in Oslo in August 2019, presenting my credentials to King Harald shortly afterwards. As a longstanding career diplomat, I have served in a wide range of different assignments both at home and abroad.   

My first posting was also in the Nordic world, in Stockholm, before assignments in New Delhi, three separate postings in Brussels covering EU related activities and then Strasbourg. My most recent role in Dublin was as Director for Trade Promotion.

I have the added privilege of also covering Iceland, although unfortunately visits to Reykjavík have been infrequent given pandemic restrictions.

What are your impressions of Norway since moving there?

I have very positive impressions and really enjoy the Norwegian lifestyle.

Having visited Oslo on holiday in the 1980s, I returned thirty years later to a hugely changed city. It is great to live in such a thriving and dynamic capital, one of the most rapidly expanding in Europe. The striking modern architecture gives the city such a progressive feel, underpinned by the lively and diverse atmosphere. I take full advantage of the easy access to nature and the outdoors, or friluftsliv, such a core aspect of life here, which Oslo has in abundance. While the winters are long and cold, I find the distinctively seasonal aspects of living here is very appealing, with swimming and hiking opportunities in the summer and the winter snow opening up other recreational possibilities, although the national pastime cross-country skiing can be challenging for an Irishman!

The high levels of prosperity and standard of living, reinforced by such a strong commitment to egalitarian principle are striking. I am also impressed by the impact of digitalisation to be seen everywhere.

What is the significance of the links/importance of the relationship between Ireland and Norway?

There is no shortage of close links - historical, cultural, political and economic - between our two countries.

Ireland has an enduring interaction with Norway going right back to the Viking age. The relationship has been one of exchanges between people, place, language and culture. As two small countries living in the shadow of larger neighbours, both of which became independent states in the early years of the 20th century, Ireland and Norway have continued to develop social and cultural as well as strong economic links.

We also share so many of our values with Norway. As European neighbours we have much in common and our similar perspective on UN issues is exemplified by Norway and Ireland working closely together on the international stage as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2021-22. I see this close cooperation as bringing us even closer together.

What do you think the future holds for the relationship between Ireland and Norway?

I can see a really positive future ahead for Norwegian-Irish relations.

Building on an already thriving relationship, there is excellent scope to further expand our business and economic relationship. We are ideally placed to do business together as two geographically proximate countries with comparable population sizes and modern, outward looking economies.

Norway’s strong focus on green transition and renewables dovetails well with Ireland’s ambitious objectives in the same area. We are seeing exciting developments in our cooperation in the energy sector, especially on offshore energy. I am confident we can deepen our partnership across a range of different sectors such as green technology, healthcare, the marine environment, data centres and electric mobility to mention but a few.

Overall, we want Ireland to be seen as a great place to do business, a source of ideas and inspiration and high quality goods and services. As we emerge from the pandemic, we have the opportunity to further strengthen our bonds of friendship, through cultural, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. We have so much to offer one another and I believe we can look towards the future with confidence and optimism. 

I think we can make a step-change in our already excellent relations. Let’s work together to make it happen.