Ambassador to the US Friis Arne Petersen of Denmark
Danish Ambassador Friis Petersen is in Alaska this week to talk about energy issues.
And Petersen is interested in the development lessons Alaska has to offer.
Petersen said further EU integration will help smaller countries like his exert greater influence on the world economy.
Petersen said Irelands rejection of the treaty and the stall that has ensued shows the increasingly democratic nature of the union.
Petersen has been to Georgia a few times before.
Petersen took part in an Accelerator Appreciation event on his first night in Atlanta.
Petersen said Denmark has a competitive advantage in the energy field.
Petersen devoted more of the discussion, however, to the shared values and interests of his country and the United States, which he said have been extraordinary friends.
Petersen was introduced by Professor Timothy Tangherlini, chair of UCLA's Scandinavian Section and a scholar of Danish, Scandinavian, as well as Korean folklore.
More information about Ambassador Petersen is available here.
Danish Kingdom: Greenland and Faroe Islands.
Friis Arne Petersen has been the Danish Ambassador to the United States since October, 2005.
Ambassador Petersen said that Danes had assumed the world knew Denmark as the peace-loving country it is, a great supporter of the United Nations, and a long-time contributor to peacekeeping around the world.
Asked what key lesson can be drawn from the cartoon crisis, Ambassador Petersen said the main lesson is that We need to cooperate more across all dividing lines, including religious lines, to avoid a clash of civilizations.
Friis Arne Petersen was born in 1952 in Skagen, Denmark.
Friis Arne Petersen has paid a particular interest to the North Atlantic parts of the Danish Kingdom: Greenland and Faroe Islands.
Friis Arne Petersen has been a member of the board of the Denmark-America Foundation since 1997.
Friis Arne Petersen is married to Birgitte Wilhelmsen.
Friis Arne Petersen has received the following decorations: Commander of First Class of the Order of Dannebrog and Greenlandic Order of Merit (Gold) as well as Grand Crosses of Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Luxembourg, Romania, United Kingdom (GCMG), and Thailand.
Ambassador Petersen has had a distinguished and outstanding career in the Danish Foreign Service.
Ambassador Petersen came to Washington in 2005.
Ambassador Petersen has had a distinguished and outstanding career in the Danish Foreign Service, serving on the staff of two Danish Foreign Ministers and holding various senior positions.
In 1994 Friis Arne Petersen was appointed Assistant Secretary for Russia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans and OSCE.
Ambassador Petersen has written numerous articles on foreign policy and lectures regularly at Danish Universities.
Ambassador Petersen is being hosted by the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics.
In 1994, Ambassador Petersen was appointed head of the Department of Relations with Russia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE.
Ambassador Petersen has been a member of the board of the Denmark-America Foundation since 1997, he was the Danish co-chairman of the Danish-Russian Intergovernmental Council on Economic Cooperation (1997-2005), and he was on the board of the Danish International Investment Funds (1995-2000.
Ambassador Petersen has had a distinguished and outstanding career in the Danish Foreign Service, servingas chief ofstaff totwo Danish Foreign Ministers and holding various senior positions as Permanent Secretary of State and Undersecretary.
Petersen said it would be nave to think that terrorism can be entirely eradicated by force.
Petersen has developed extensive experience with transatlantic relations, European treaty and enlargement negotiations, and international security issues.