Bill Clinton

“ In addition, many of the best and brightest entrepreneurs in America and the Nordic countries are collaborating to encourage trade and the spread of innovative ideas and technologies around the world. Americans and Nordics alike value courage, independence, energy, and resourcefulness; working together in this new millennium, we are charting a new course for our people just as exciting and full of promise as the one Leif Erikson traveled a thousand years ago. ”

“ This year, as we mark the beginning of a new millennium, we also celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Europe's first contact with North America. At the turn of the last millennium, the legendary explorer Leif Erikson—son of Iceland, grandson of Norway—sailed across the cold waters of the Atlantic from his home in Greenland to the eastern coast of North America, completing the first documented voyage of Europeans to the New World. ”

“ More than 10 million Americans today can trace their roots to the Nordic countries, and their family ties, traditions, and values have strengthened the warm friendship our Nation has always enjoyed with the people of Scandinavia. ”