Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1938, Síða 29

WHEN KINGS AND FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET
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foreign countries. On this point it was agreed to safeguard the
Northern interests by joint action.
»During the conference the importance of the continued
friendly discussions between the governments and of the con-
fident collaboration between the three countries was emphasised
by all present.«
But in spite of this unanimity as to the utility of the meeting
of the Foreign Ministers a good many years were to elapse before
the next conference took place. The epoch of peace making
and of the creation of the League of Nations had come to an
end and after 1920 followed a period of comparative quiet in
the history of Europe. Nations began to breathe freely once more
and the necessity of keeping counsel together in the North was no
longer felt.
For more than eleven years the Foreign Ministers of the
Northern Countries did not meet personally and officially to
discuss ways and means. But during the economic crisis in the
early i93o’s the need for co-operation was felt very keenly. The
economic war threatened the small states with new dangers, and
on the invitation of Denmark the three Foreign Ministers met
in Copenhagen in January 1932 to discuss commercial and mone-
tary issues.
The official press communique differed in substance from the
previous statements and dwelt only on problems of national
economy. It rans:
»During the meeting which took place on January 6th and
7th between the Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Norway and
Sweden the procedure has been as follows:
»A11 information obtainable in the three countries as to con-
ditions of currency and of general commercial policies both with-
in the three countries and in the countries of interest to eco-
nomic developments in the North was exchanged, and the general
economic international situation was discussed. It was agreed to
continue regularly to exchange such information.
»It was ascertained that in all three countries there was com-
plete willingness to make due allowance for the interests of the
other two countries in any economic measure that might be
necessitated by specific circumstances, and to go as far in this
direction as possible. This making it natural to enter into a de-
tailed discussion concerning steps to be taken, it was decided to
appoint representatives for the three Ministries of Foreign Affairs