Jan Petersen (born 11 June 1946, in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. Petersen was elected to the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

from

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

in 1981, and was re-elected on six occasions. He had previously served as a deputy representative during the term 1973–1977. From 2001 to 2005, when the second cabinet Bondevik held office, Petersen was

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

. During this period his seat in parliament was held by André Oktay Dahl. On the local level Petersen was a member of

Oppegård Oppegård is an area in Nordre Follo, Akershus, Norway. Oppegård was a municipality in the county Akershus. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Kolbotn. The municip ...

municipal council from 1967 to 1983, serving as mayor from 1975 to 1981. He chaired the Conservative Party from 1994 to 2004. From 1971 to 1973 he was the leader of the Young Conservatives (''Unge Høyre''), the youth wing of the Conservative Party. Outside politics Petersen has a cand.jur. degree from the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in 1973. Before entering national politics he worked for a few years in the

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is primarily concerned with offering development aid to international partners, but in matters regarding Norway's Inter ...

(Norad). From 2009 to 2014 he served as the Norwegian ambassador to Austria, and he then retired. In 2004, Petersen was appointed a Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Jan 1946 births Living people Ministers of foreign affairs of Norway Mayors of places in Akershus People from Oppegård University of Oslo alumni Ambassadors of Norway to Austria Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Leaders of the Conservative Party (Norway) Members of the Storting 2001–2005 Members of the Storting 1993–1997 Members of the Storting 1997–2001 Members of the Storting 2005–2009 Members of the Storting 1989–1993 Members of the Storting 1981–1985 Members of the Storting 1985–1989