HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng and a delegation of the Vietnamese Government paid a visit to Norway from October 30 to November 2 at the invitation of the Norwegian Government.

During the visit, Deputy PM Dũng had working sessions with Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup.

He also met with leaders of Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises.

At the meetings, the Norwegian leaders conveyed their deep sympathies over the death of President Trần Đại Quang and congratulated Việt Nam on electing General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng as the new President.

The two sides lauded the sound friendship and multifaceted co-operation between Việt Nam and Norway over the years with the regular exchange of delegations and meetings.

They spoke highly of the outcomes of the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in October this year. 

They agreed that the two countries boasted huge co-operation potential, stressing the need for stronger affiliation in the spheres of oil and gas, shipbuilding, maritime transport, culture, education and tourism.

At the meeting with Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Deputy PM Dũng expressed his hope that Norway would have a stronger voice to support the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law. The two sides concurred to continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and the United Nations.

At the meetings with Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup, both sides recognised the growth in bilateral economic co-operation with two-way trade in recent years reaching over US$350 million per year.

Norway currently has 40 projects in Việt Nam with total investment of over $160 million, ranking 41st out of 129 foreign investors in the Southeast Asian country.

Deputy PM Dũng suggested Norway help speed up the signing and ratification of the European Union-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). 

Meeting with leaders of Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises, Deputy PM Dũng underscored that Norway was an important partner for Việt Nam. He highlighted many investment opportunities in Việt Nam as a result of the equitisation of State-owned enterprises.

He also reiterated the Government’s commitments to creating a favourable investment and business environment for foreign firms, including those from Norway, to invest and do business in the country.

The Deputy PM proposed that Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises send business delegations to Vietnam to further explore the market. Currently, the US$1 trillion fund is investing in a number of big firms in Việt Nam, including Vinamilk, MBank and Hòa Phát Group.

Representatives of Norwegian firms showed interest in co-operation and investment opportunities in Việt Nam, listing the country as one of the top newly-emerged markets.

They expressed hope that the Government of Việt Nam would continue reforming its institutional and legal system, while also simplifying procedures for imports, and supporting Norwegian firms to invest particularly in shipbuilding, oil and gas, aquaculture, hydropower, wind power and pharmaceuticals.

During the visit, Deputy PM Dũng also had a meeting with officials of the Vietnamese embassy and the Vietnamese community in the country. — VNS