The Crown Prince visited Afghanistan
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon visited Afghanistan on 24 August with General Sverre Diesen. The Crown Prince received an introduction into the contribution of the Norwegian Armed Forces to stabilising and rebuilding the country.
Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces
The Crown Prince had a tightly-packed programme, travelling from Kabul to Meymaneh and back again. In the course of the day he gained insight into the work of the stabilisation forces in Faryab Province and the Norwegian mentors who are training and cooperating with the Afghan National Army, as well as the Norwegian special forces’ assignments in Kabul.
The Crown Prince was given a guided tour of Meymaneh, where he also met with Norwegian soldiers who are serving their tour of duty there. The Norwegian Aeromedical Detachment (NAD) gave the Crown Prince a demonstration on board their evacuation helicopter and staged a simulated rescue operation, enabling the Crown Prince to experience the entire chain of operations necessary to save lives.
The Crown Prince ended the day with a dinner with Norwegians in Kabul, in addition to meetings with UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Kai Eide, Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs Dadfar Spanta and Norwegian ambassador Kåre Aas.
“It was very enlightening for me to come here and see first-hand the situation of the Norwegian forces who are stationed here. I am impressed by their contribution, and I have learned a lot,” concluded the Crown Prince at the end of his visit.
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