Norway is high mountains and deep fjords. It is vast plateaus and coastal archipelagos, islands and islets. It is fertile fields and soft heathlands.
The sea meets our shores in the north, west and south.
Norway is the midnight sun and the polar night. It is both harsh and mild winters. It is both warm and cold summers. Norway is a long country, with people living far apart.
But above all, Norway is people.
Norwegians are people from Northern Norway, Trøndelag, Southern Norway – and all the other regions of the country.
Norwegians have also immigrated from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, Sweden, Somalia and Syria. My own grandparents immigrated from Denmark and England 110 years ago.
It is not always easy to say where we come from or which nationality we belong to. The place we call home is where our heart is – and that cannot always be defined by national borders.
Norwegians are young and old, tall and short, able-bodied and wheelchair users. More and more Norwegians are living beyond the age of one hundred. Norwegians are rich, poor and somewhere in between.
Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other.
Norwegians believe in God, Allah, "Altet" [Ed.: roughly "the whole" or "the universe"], and in nothing at all.
Norwegians enjoy Grieg and Kygo, Hellbillies and Kari Bremnes.
In other words: Norway is you. Norway is us.
When we sing "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" [Ed.: Norway's national anthem], we should remember that we are also singing about one another. Because we are the people who make up this country. That is why our national anthem is also a declaration of love for the Norwegian people.
My greatest hope for Norway is that we will succeed in taking care of one another.
That we will continue to build this country on trust, community and generosity.
That we will feel that – despite all our differences – we are one people.
That Norway is one.
Video of the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQtLxYde-rw