Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg arrived in Hanoi on April 16, beginning her three-day official visit to Vietnam as guest of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Erna Solberg’s visit is intended to seek concrete orientations and measures to step up bilateral cooperation across economy, investment, climate change, water management, renewable energy, agriculture, maritime economy, oil and gas, and the ship-building industry.

It also looks to push up the negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) for its conclusion in 2015, as well as accelerating affiliation in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and working out Sustainable Development Goalds in post-2015.

Vietnam and Norway established their diplomatic ties in November 1971 and have seen their relations actively developing across politics, economics, culture and society.

Bilateral trade was posted at 307.8 million USD in 2014, rising by 28 percent from the previous year. Vietnam mainly exports textile-garments, footwear, timber and wood products and cashew nuts to Norway while importing aquatic, chemical and steel products; machinery; spare parts; and fertilisers.

By the end of February 2015, Norway had 30 valid projects with total registered capital of 121 million USD in Vietnam, ranking 37 th among countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam does not currently have any direct investments in the European nation.

Norway is currently one of the largest sponsors of Vietnam in the UN Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD). It pledged to provide more than 30 million USD for the UN-REDD implementation in Vietnam from 2013 and 2015.

Norwegian-funded projects in education, healthcare, natural resource management and renewable energy are also being carried out efficiently, helping the Southeast Asian nation fulfil the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of schedule.

Norway’s total assistance to Vietnam now exceeds 320 million USD.-VNA