Hanoi (VNA) – Norway, as a member of the European Free Trade Association, hasgiven priority to negotiating free trade agreements with a number of Asiancountries, including Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, the Republic of Koreaand Vietnam, said Børge Brende, Foreign Minister of Norway.

Vietnam graduated from being one of the poorest countries in the world to amiddle income country in 2010, he said, adding that trade between Norway andVietnam has increased by more than 30 percent over the past year.

Norway is also supporting Vietnam’s efforts to transform its forest sector andcollaborate with neighbouring countries in the Mekong region to reducedeforestation, he revealed.

According to the FM, Norway supports the move towards closer regionalcooperation in Asia. Over the past few years, it has have actively sought tostrengthen relations with the continent.

In 2012, Norway was accepted as a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), theprincipal meeting place for political dialogue between Asia and Europe. Then in2015, the country gained sectoral dialogue partner status with ASEAN, the firstmedium sized economy outside the region to do so.

Moreover, at a time when free trade is under pressure, many countries in Asiaare taking laudable steps towards removing trade barriers between them. Norwayis a strong supporter of free trade, and we recently gathered over 20 countriesin Oslo to move the free trade agenda of the WTO forward, in preparation of theWTO ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires in 2017.

“Norway’s trade with Asia is both deepening and widening. ASEAN is today ourfourth largest trading partner. With Vietnam alone, our trade has increased bymore than 30 % this past year. And we want to increase our trade with Asia evenfurther,” he said.  

Norwegian companies in the maritime sector continue to play a vital role inmany Asian countries. At the same time, there are also important investments infisheries, hydropower, and oil and gas.

In total, around 500 Norwegian companies have been established in Asia,increasing foreign direct investment in the region, he added.

Børge Brende said another key area in Norway’s cooperation with Asia is the 2030Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Norway is engaged in extensivecooperation with Indonesia on reducing deforestation through REDD , and has pledged1 billion USD for these efforts.

“We therefore stand ready to work with Asian nations both directly and throughregional arenas for cooperation to seek sustainable solutions and stabledevelopment in Asia,” he concluded.-VNA