Vice President’s visit hoped to promote ties with Norway: Ambassador

Hanoi (VNA) – Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan’s visit to Norway is expected to create a new momentum for the development of bilateral relations, Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Nho Hung told Vietnam News Agency.

The diplomat said that the relationship between Vietnam and Norway is developing positively with increased cooperation activities in both quantity and quality. The two sides have strengthened meetings and delegation exchanges at all levels and in various fields.

The two countries as well as the International Partners Group (IPG) adopted a political declaration on the establishment of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). All the plans postponed in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been resumed, including the deputy ministerial-level Political Consultation in March 2023, he noted.

The two sides have worked on the negotiation of a number of agreements, the ambassador said, adding that the visa exemption policy for Norwegian citizens entering Vietnam has been expanded, with the temporary stay period increased from 15 days to 45 days.

For many years, Norway has been an important partner of Vietnam, said Ambassador Hung, noting that the European country has provided Vietnam with active support in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the past and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at present.

Norway has offered about 320 million USD to Vietnam, while many Norwegian firms have effectively operated in Vietnam, he said, adding that tourism activities between the two sides have bustled.

Ambassador Hung underlined that businesses of both sides have shown increasing interest in cooperating with each other, while more opportunities are being seen in bilateral partnership in the fields of green economy, circular economy, sustainable development, renewable energy, and marine economy, which are expected to contribute to the growth of both countries, matching the major trends of the world in the next 1-2 decades.

The diplomat pointed to three foundations that enable Vietnam and Norway to be optimistic about their relations in the future. Firstly, despite fluctuations in the world, Vietnam has remained stabled growth and made active and positive contributions to the joint efforts in the region and the world for peace and development. Secondly, Norway is a leading country in green industries with its strengths in technology solutions, finance and experience, providing effective support to developing countries in SDG realisation and climate change response. And thirdly, the world is facing many great challenges, evolving at a faster pace than previously forecast, requiring countries regardless of their sizes to increase cooperation.

Regarding the significance of Vice President Xuan’s upcoming visit to Norway at the invitation of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Ambassador Hung said that the visit will be a highlight of the Vietnam-Norway relations.

This will be the first visit to Norway by the Vietnamese Vice President, which is expected to create a new momentum for the growth of the relations between the two countries, contributing to increasing the cooperation efficiency and optimising collaboration potential, while implementing Vietnam’s external policy of independence, self-reliance, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification, active and positive international integration, being friend, trustworthy partner, positive and responsible member of the international community, he said.

Vice President Xuan’s visit is also expected to contribute to implementing important development strategies, planning and programmes of the countries, while promoting the realisation of national targets in SDGs implementation and commitments given at the UN Climate Change Conference.

Activities that the Vice President will conduct in Norway are hoped to help expand bilateral cooperation opportunities in trade, investment, education, science-technology and culture, mobilising resources for national development, said the ambassador.

He said that during the visit, Vice President Xuan is scheduled to mention many important cooperation areas, including sustainable and green development, as well as solutions to support the development of circular economy, marine economy, green agriculture, sustainable aquatic farming, and plastic waste treatment.

Particularly, the two sides will discuss cooperation and support to Vietnam in realising the JETP and the implementation of Vietnam’s energy development plans, as well as solutions to promote efficient energy use, contributing to the achievement of Vietnam’s net-zero emission commitment by 2050 and ensuring the national energy security and equality in energy transition.

The two sides will also discuss the speeding up of the negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states which comprises Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein and has a total GDP of 1.2 trillion USD, said Ambassador Hung./.