Pakistan and Norway on Thursday agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties during the highest-level engagement between the two countries in a decade.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide held a restricted-format meeting before leading delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and held in-depth discussions on regional and international developments of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed cooperation in trade, investment, climate change, maritime affairs and education.
They also recognised the important contribution of the Pakistani diaspora in Norway and agreed to further strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
Islamabad and Oslo expressed satisfaction over the warm and cordial state of bilateral relations and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Addressing a joint press conference after the talks, DPM Dar said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Norway and is committed to further deepening bilateral cooperation.
The deputy prime minister said both sides acknowledged that trade between the two countries remains below its potential and agreed on the need to boost economic engagement through concrete and effective measures.
Dar said Pakistan and Norway also agreed to expedite the finalisation of a number of pending agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.
He added that the two countries had agreed to enhance people-to-people contacts and discussed labour mobility as an important area of collaboration.
He said both sides would continue working on legal pathways to facilitate the employment of Pakistan’s skilled workforce in Norway.
In his remarks on the occasion, FM Eide highlighted the strong links between Pakistan and Norway, noting that a large Pakistani community resides in Norway.
He also said several Norwegian companies were operating in Pakistan and contributing to the country’s development and economic growth.
FM Eide lauded Pakistan’s efforts to advance regional and international peace, noting that these initiatives had garnered international recognition.
He warned that prevailing regional tensions threatened both global stability and economic growth, while acknowledging Pakistan’s courageous stance during a challenging period.
He also highlighted Islamabad’s constructive engagement during the recent Iran-US conflict and paid tribute to the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
