Governor O'Malley recorded a brief message Wednesday about an eco-friendly community in Hammarby Sjöstad, Sweden, and about the lessons of sustainability that should be adopted in the U.S.
We've uploaded images from Governor O'Malley's visit to Sweden on Wednesday as a new photoset on Flickr.
Governor O'Malley sent this blog update from Stockholm on Wednesday morning.
I met with the deputy prime minisiter of Sweden this morning to talk about our common interest in clean technologies. They have an interesting local waste-to-energy program that supplies heat and power on a municipal basis. Sweden poduces more than 40 percent of its power from renewable energy and 90 percent of its power from a combination of nuclear and hydro.
And below are three photos from Wednesday:
Above, meeting with the Swedish deputy prime minister.
Above, getting briefed at SwedenBio, the Swedesh life science organization.
Governor O'Malley recorded a brief message from the NATO Center for Excellence on Cyber Defense in Estonia on Tuesday.
Continuing on his European visit, Governor Martin O'Malley stopped in Estonia today.
He met with representatives of Estonia's Ministries of Economic Affairs and Defense and discussed a number of topics, including the global economy, energy, and emergency management--all of which are important to both Maryland and Estoina.
Governor O'Malley is visiting Estonia as a part of the State Partnership Program, which pairs U.S. states and territories--and their respective National Guard units--with new or emerging democracies, in discussions that strengthen international relationships and work to address some of the world's most challenging issues.
"It is extremely impressive for me to see just how mutually successful this program has been for both the State of Maryland and the Republic of Estonia," said Governor O'Malley.
Maryland and Estonia have partnered in this program since 1993. In the sixteen-year-long partnership, Maryland has played an integral role in fostering Estonia's democracy and strengthening its economy. To signify their long-lasting partnership, Gov. O'Malley and Mr. Nicolai Vojeikin, the Deputy Governor of the municipality of Harju County in Estonia, recently signed a memorandum of understanding that is designed to encourage social and cultural relationships between the two parties.
The Governor will end his five-day European trip tomorrow with a stop in Sweden.
We've uploaded high-quality images from Governor O'Malley's visits to Estonia on Tuesday and Bosnia and Herzegovenia on Monday as new photosets on Flickr.
Governor O'Malley sent this blog update from Estonia on Tuesday morning.
Maryland's relationship with Estonia goes back 15 years and is still going strong. I met with Andris Ansup, the Prime Minister of Estonia, who thanked us for the cooperation that Maryland provided helping enable them to integrate successfully in NATO. The program is very helpful for sharing military norms, but as importantly, about civil society and government. He said that their development of an army reserve is based on what they learned from the Maryland National Guard. In fact, the commander of the Estonian reserve has visited Maryland a number of times going back to 1994. The prime minister told me Estonia was the first country to suffer a major attack by foreign entities, and they've conducted online voting for four years now, so cyber security is a priority for them.
And below are two photos from Tuesday:
Governor O'Malley with Estonian Prime Minister Andris Ansup.
Governor O'Malley recorded a quick message from "Dog Beach" in Normandy, France, on Friday.
Sunday, Governor O'Malley traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina for a one-day visit as a part of the State Partnership Program. The program brings together U.S. states and territories and their respective National Guard units with new or emerging democracies throughout the world.
Governor O'Malley held discussions with military and civilian representatives of the government, business leaders representing the local chamber of commerce, and the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The State of Maryland and the Balkan nation have enjoyed an official partnership since 2003 and unofficial exchanges date back to January 1996. Thirteen years ago, the Maryland Army National Guard's 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment was deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina immediately following the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. Five years later, Marylanders with the Maryland Army National Guard's 29th Infantry Division Light were deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the fall of 2001 as part of Stabilization Force (SFOR) 10.
Since their official pairing, Maryland has worked closely with Bosnia and Herzegovina to foster democracy, encourage a market-based economy and promoting regional cooperation and stability.
"The State of Maryland very much values its partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina and looks forward to continuing that partnership for years to come," said Governor O'Malley. "Together, we have an opportunity to work collaboratively on issues of mutual interest, not just from a military perspective, but a business and economic perspective, particularly now as we manage through the effects of a challenging global economic environment."
The Governor also met with local business leaders for a luncheon hosted by the local chamber of commerce, where he discussed opportunities of mutual interest that may exist between the State of Maryland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Maryland National Guard holds approximately 20 partner events each year with Bosnia and Herzegovina. In July 2008 Maryland Air National Guard engineers were deployed to renovate a primary school in the town of Vlasenica and the Mount Igman War Memorial, which was dedicated to the three American diplomats and a French Soldier who lost their lives during the Bosnian War.
"Through this unique and innovative program, we are making a difference - not just for the short term, but long term future of Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, adjutant general of Maryland and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs.
Later today, the Governor will be traveling to the Republic of Estonia, another partner country under the State Partnership Program. There, Governor O'Malley will meet with representatives of Estonia's ministries of Economic Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Defense.
Governor O'Malley sent this blog update from Sarajevo on Monday. Photos from this visit will be uploaded soon.
The visit to see the emergency operations center -- modeled on the Maryland center -- was a great reminder that we have an amazing opportunity to share our strengths and experience. The emergency management team from Bosnia Herzegovenia visited their National Guard partners at Camp Frederick and were inspired to build their own facility. With aid from the United States, the center is nearly read to help the military to coordinate emergency response.
The effects of the nation's economic hardship are hitting Maryland hard. We're fighting every day to protect Maryland’s families during these tough economic times. We’re also working every day to make sure that government and its programs work for people.
Congratulations to Coach Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez for their ACC honors. Go Terps! 1 day, 21 hours, 4 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
I am honored to have just received the endorsement of the Maryland Professional Firefighters. 3 days, 26 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
Along with Twitter, become a Facebook Fan of Governor O’Malley for campaign updates. http://www.facebook.com/MartinOMalley 6 days, 4 hours, 21 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
Today the Gov officially released results of the 1st ever statewide survey of MD educators called TELL MARYLAND: http://tellmaryland.org/ 1 week, 2 hours, 2 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
