Pakistan, Norway reaffirm commitment to strengthening ties

Pakistan and Norway met on Thursday to reaffirm their commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation, according to the Foreign Office. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar hosted Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who was the first visit of his kind in a decade. During the "restricted-format meeting," both ministers discussed the broad spectrum of their bilateral relations, as well as regional and global developments.

Upon his arrival in Islamabad, Eide was greeted by Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Ambassador Ayesha Ali. The Foreign Office stated that during the visit, which took place from August 13-14 at Dar's invitation, the two ministers would engage in delegation-level talks covering the full range of Pakistan-Norway relations. They aimed to explore avenues for further expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and investment, climate change, renewable energy, education, and people-to-people contacts. Additionally, they would exchange views on important regional and international developments.

The visit aimed to build upon high-level engagement between the two nations, including phone conversations between Dar and Eide in March and April, and Norway's State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik's visit to Islamabad in May. The Foreign Office expressed that the meeting would provide an opportunity to strengthen the longstanding and cordial relations between Pakistan and Norway while exploring new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.