Vietnam, Norway promote cooperation for a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang and Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken at the event - Photo: VGP/Thuy Dung

On the morning of May 16, in Hanoi , Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken chaired the ceremony to celebrate the 210th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom of Norway (May 17, 1814 - May 17, 2024).

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Hilde Solbakken shared that Norway-Vietnam cooperation in finding solutions to global challenges such as combating climate change and ensuring clean and healthy oceans continues to grow. The two countries are working together towards the green energy transition through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and will work even more closely in the field of green maritime.

Joint efforts towards a circular economy offer the promise of better waste management systems that benefit both people and the planet. Collaboration in sustainable mariculture will also contribute to job creation and food security.

Norway and Vietnam are both open economies. Norway is also a strong advocate of open markets and rules-based trade.

"We hope that this year the free trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (including four member countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) and Vietnam will make progress," the Ambassador expressed.

At the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said that Vietnam and Norway are both countries striving to achieve sustainable development goals, associated with protecting the natural environment, ensuring social welfare for all people, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the two regions and around the world.

Vietnam and Norway share a number of development priorities in the fields of renewable energy, marine economy, science and technology, innovation, green and circular economic development.

According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, last year, Vietnam and Norway continued to maintain a positive momentum of cooperation. Vietnam is Norway's second largest trading partner in ASEAN (after Singapore), with two-way trade turnover reaching over 450 million USD, of which Norway's seafood exports to Vietnam reached over 250 million USD, an increase of 16% (of which salmon accounted for 30%).

The leaders of both countries expressed their support for the early completion of negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement between the EFTA bloc and Vietnam to connect Vietnam's market of over 100 million people with the EFTA. Norway currently has 56 direct investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of nearly 200 million USD, ranking 40th out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

To promote the great potential, the two countries are actively coordinating to build a new cooperation framework in the field of sustainable marine economy and renewable energy between the two countries, supporting Vietnam in implementing the Joint Statement on JETP with the group of international partners, including Norway./.

Thuy Dung

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/viet-nam-na-uy-thuc-day-hop-tac-vi-tuong-lai-hoa-binh-cong-bang-va-ben-vung-102250516143810758.htm