Miroslav Lajcak Quotes

I'm not looking for a battle with anybody, neither the council nor our labor partners.

There is an appealing moral clarity in dividing the world into friend and foe. But in reality, progress in international affairs so often demands working with those with whom we do not see eye to eye.

We have to find compromises. That's the way it is in Norway.

A constructive approach to diplomacy doesn't mean relinquishing one's rights. It means engaging with one's counterparts, on the basis of equal footing and mutual respect, to address shared concerns and achieve shared objectives.

A policy that can be accurately, though perhaps not prudently, defined as one of “peaceful co-existence.”

We need a lot more respect in this country for compromise…. There is in compromise a lot of integrity, especially political integrity.

I don't ever talk about red lines whether in coalition negotiations with other partners or in Europe. It is important that we listen to others and find a way forward.

To have compromise you must first have dialog. That is the true path of democracy.

We are not seeking... and looking for war with any nations. We are seeking peace and stability among all the nations in the region.

I hope everybody will go back to the negotiating table. I've always said this is the only way forward.

Freeing hostages is like putting up a stage set, which you do with the captors, agreeing on each piece as you slowly put it together; then you leave an exit through which both the captor and the captive can walk with sincerity and dignity.

I have always believed in dialogue and in nonviolence, and if you look at my background you will see that it has always been my policy to talk to everyone.

Unless you are willing to compromise, society cannot live together.

Better talk than fight, if nothing of sovereign value is anyway lost. Dialogue has achieved more than confrontation in many parts of the world.

The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.

Through mutual understanding, sincerity and goodwill, and with great wisdom and broad views, the leaders on both sides should jointly initiate new opportunities for peace, stability, cooperation and mutual benefit.

I'm not a politician or a political expert, but I believe that there are many ways to look at peace.

Reasonable, even intelligent people can, and frequently do, disagree on how best to achieve peace in the Middle East, but, peace must be the goal of our foreign policy tools, whether they be by the stick or by the carrot.

Our position is that we can sit down and talk to try to solve our problems through dialogue.

Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions by many people in many countries. It is an attitude, a way of life, a way of solving problems and resolving conflicts.

Diplomacy is letting someone else have your way.

They put aside the talk of peace and instead acted for peace.

Negotiations can create conditions that can lead to solutions.

We won’t be very successful with the Chinese leadership [on human rights issues] if we’re in their face all the time.

Peace is something that unfortunately cannot be made unilaterally.