Editing Foreign relations of Norway (section)

==History==
{{Further|History of Norway}}
The [[Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] was established on the same day that Norway [[Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905|declared the dissolution of the union]] with Sweden: June 7, 1905. Although diplomats could not present credentials to foreign governments until the Swedish king formally renounced his right to the Norwegian throne, a number of unofficial representatives worked on the provisional government's behalf until the first Norwegian ambassador, [[Hjalmar Christian Hauge]], sought accreditation by the United States Secretary of State [[Elihu Root]] on November 6, 1905.

The initial purposes of the newly formed Foreign Ministry were to represent Norway's interests through diplomatic channels, and to provide consular services for Norwegian shipping and commerce overseas. In 1906, the [[Storting]] decided to establish six embassies in Europe, with two more in the Americas: one in the United States and one in [[Argentina]]. 20 consular offices were also opened.

During [[World War I]], the foreign ministry was confronted with unprecedented challenges in maintaining neutrality for Norway, in particular in order to protect its merchant fleet.

In 1922, the ministry was consolidated and reorganised to ensure fuller cooperation between the diplomatic and consular branches. The reorganization included the formation of a designated career path for diplomats that included completion of a university entrance examination and professional experience from international trade. The economic hardship of the times forced austerity measures at the ministry for the next several years.

When Norway was [[Operation Weserübung|invaded by Nazi Germany]] in 1940, the [[Government in exile|government fled]] to the United Kingdom and reconstituted in exile in [[Bracknell]], outside London. [[Kingston House estate, London|Kingston House]] in London was later used. The government moved back to Norway following the peace in 1945.

After the end of [[World War II]], Norway was a founding member of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] and the United Nations, the latter having Norwegian [[Trygve Lie]] as inaugural [[United Nations Secretary-General|Secretary-General]]. Norway was also part of the first slate of non-permanent members to the [[United Nations Security Council]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Hanhimäki|first=Jussi M.|title=1. The best hope of mankind? A brief history of the UN|date=2015-06-11|url=http://www.veryshortintroductions.com/view/10.1093/actrade/9780190222703.001.0001/actrade-9780190222703-chapter-2|work=The United Nations: A Very Short Introduction|pages=8–25|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/actrade/9780190222703.003.0002|isbn=978-0-19-022270-3|access-date=2022-01-29}}</ref>