The corners of the mouths were wide, and the small red-and-white Dannebrog flags waved as several hundred people gathered on Monday to welcome the Danish royal couple in the Australian capital, Canberra. King Frederik and Queen Mary are on a six-day state visit to the queen's birthplace.
Also on the visit is Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M), who sat at the table when the royal couple visited Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in the Australian Parliament on Monday. The participation of one or more ministers is absolutely crucial during a state visit, explains Lars Aagaard.
- When there is a state visit, there must be a government representative. As soon as the topics become political, I convey or receive the political messages, he says, adding:
- The royal couple also speaks to the politicians, of course, but if it becomes a political conversation, the government representative steps in.
Actually, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) and Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V) were also supposed to have participated in the state visit, but the call for the general election caused them to cancel.
Former minister and current director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Brian Mikkelsen assessed before the state visit that the cancellation of two ministers would have an impact, which he called marginal.
- During a state visit, it is the royal couple who are in focus. Regardless of whether there are one or two ministers, it is they (the royal couple, ed.) who manage to make Denmark shine. But of course there will be some political elements in a concrete collaboration, which will be a little more difficult to implement because the relevant minister is at home campaigning, he said.
I think the Danes understand the paused election campaign
The focus of the state visit is, among other things, the green transition. The majority of the more than 50 companies accompanying the royal couple on the visit are within industries such as renewable energy and green construction.
Question: What exactly are the doors that you can open as climate minister during a state visit?
Lars Aagaard compares a state visit to when you have to hand in an assignment at school.
- Then it was quite good that there was a deadline. For example, the Australian climate minister is present tomorrow at a meeting with the Danish energy sector. So it provides some opportunities to close some dialogues and some agreements, he says.
Although Lars Aagaard has had to interrupt his parliamentary election campaign on Funen, where he is running, for five days, he is not terribly worried about whether the trip to Australia will have consequences for his personal choices.
- I hope that the people of Funen also respect that I am a person who cares about my work and can see that it has value for Denmark, says Lars Aagaard.
/ritzau/
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