Vietnam Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân had a meeting with Crown Prince of Norway Haakon Magnus in Oslo on Thursday (local time) as part of her ongoing visit to the northern European country.

Highlighting the growth of the Việt Nam-Norway relations in all fields, Xuân said that the two sides should maintain high-level visits to strengthen political trust and enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation.

She proposed that the two sides should build legal frameworks to create foundation for bilateral relations, while expanding collaboration in new areas such as culture, education-training, science-technology and people-to-people exchange, and strengthening coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums.   

The Vietnamese Vice President said she hoped Norway would help speed up the negotiation for a free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and support Việt Nam to implement its commitment within the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus recalled his strong impression when seeing the great changes in Việt Nam during a visit to the country in 2014, and said that Việt Nam is an important partner of Norway.

He showed concern about the impacts of climate change on the Mekong Delta and pledged that the Royal Family and the Government of Norway would continue to support Việt Nam in responding to climate change, promoting green transition and developing renewable energy.

The Crown Prince highly valued Việt Nam’s commitments made at international forums on green transition, especially the net-zero emission commitment by 2050. He pledged that Norway would cooperate with and support Việt Nam in realising these commitments.

On the occasion, Vietnam Vice President Xuân extended Vietnam President Võ Văn Thưởng’s invitation to King Harald V to visit Việt Nam, and invited the Crown Prince and Princess to visit Việt Nam again in 2024.  

The same day, Xuân held talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to discuss cooperation orientations and measures to bolster and deepen the friendship and partnership between Việt Nam and Norway.

The Norwegian PM said that the Vietnamese Vice President’s visit reflected the strong commitment of the two countries to promoting bilateral ties. He said he was impressed by Việt Nam’s achievements in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those on poverty reduction and gender equality. PM Store congratulated Việt Nam on its election to the UN Human Rights Council for the second time, and expressed hope to cooperate closely in this field.     

Xuân affirmed that Việt Nam highly valued the effective and precious support that the Government and people of Norway had given to Việt Nam over the years, helping Việt Nam promote socio-economic development and complete Millennium Development Goals.

The two sides agreed on the need to maintain the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high level, and consider the possibility of establishing a strategic partnership framework in areas matching each other’s strengths and demands. They concurred to continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and in settling global challenges.

Regarding economic cooperation, the two sides noted the progress in bilateral trade and investment partnership, with Việt Nam becoming the second largest trade partner of Norway among ASEAN member countries.

The two sides agreed to support and encourage Norwegian businesses to increase investment in Việt Nam, and coordinate with each other in promoting the negotiation of the FTA between Việt Nam and the EFTA, thus opening up new economic cooperation opportunities between the two sides and benefiting enterprises of the two countries.

They vowed to strengthen collaboration within the JETP framework through support in finance, technology transfer, human resources development and institution-building experience sharing.

The Norwegian PM expressed his hope to form strategic cooperation mechanisms in specific areas such as green transition, circular economy and green economy.      

The two leaders agreed on the necessity to expand cooperation in the fields of education-training, science-technology, social welfare, climate change, security, defence, and people-to-people exchange.

PM Store affirmed that the Norwegian Government would continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country.

Regarding international and regional issues, the two leaders agreed that the two sides would continue to work closely with each other at regional and international forums, especially the UN and the ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world on the basis of respect for international law and fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

Vice President Xuân conveyed Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s invitation to PM Store to visit Việt Nam.

Also on Thursday, Vice President Xuân had a meeting with President of the Norwegian Parliament Masud Gharahkhani who hailed Việt Nam’s positive engagement in dealing with global challenges, especially those in climate change with the commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Xuân proposed that the Norwegian Parliament support the establishment of legal frameworks facilitating bilateral cooperation in areas matching each other’s strengths and demands, such as green transition, climate change and circular economy.

The Vietnamese Vice President said she hoped Norway would help speed up the signing of an FTA between Việt Nam and the EFTA, and provide Việt Nam with financial resources and institution-building experience, and human resources training support to realise the country’s international commitments, especially those made at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and within the JETP framework.

The Norwegian parliament leader agreed with Xuân on the need to beef up cooperation to optimise each other’s advantages and potential, saying that the Norwegian Parliament supported collaboration with Việt Nam in green transition and creates favourable conditions for Norwegian firms to strengthen partnerships with Vietnamese peers.

The legislatures of Việt Nam and Norway should strengthen the exchange of delegations and experience in building policies and laws to deal with challenges in socio-economic development in each country, he said.  

On the occasion, Vice President Xuân conveyed an invitation from Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ to the Norwegian Parliament President to visit Việt Nam.

Earlier the same day, Vice President Xuân received Norwegian Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery who underlined that Norway and Viet Nam shared the same commitment to promoting gender equality.

The minister expressed hope that the two countries would strengthen cooperation in this field and continue to effectively coordinate with each other in this area at multilateral forums, especially the UN. VNS

The Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo has launched a campaign to promote more salmon eating in Japan, where it is already a popular sushi topping.

Norway started a blitz to sell salmon for sushi to Japan under a national strategy in the 1980s, making it more popular than it already was at the time.

Raw salmon is a staple at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants and other eateries as well as at many retailers.

With salmon becoming comparable with tuna in popularity, the embassy’s fisheries department hit on the idea of boosting demand for salmon even more by promoting different methods on how to prepare it, including substituting cooked salmon in popular meat dishes.

The embassy has begun the promotional campaign, calling salmon the “fourth meat” after beef, pork and chicken.

As part of the project, the embassy has posted salmon recipes online and distributed flyers at supermarkets nationwide.

It is also offering a trip to Norway and Norwegian salmon fillets as prizes for pictures of cooked salmon posted on social media. Winners will be chosen by lottery.

In Japan, more meat is now consumed than fish. The embassy says it hopes that diversifying salmon cooking methods will lead to an increase in Japanese consumption of the fish.

Republic Day is a national holiday in Kazakhstan, celebrated on October 25.

On this day in 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the country was adopted. The document declared Kazakhstan’s political and legal foundations as an independent state.

“This is the day of the revival of our centuries-old statehood, which dates back to the era of the Turkic Khaganates, the Golden Horde, and the Kazakh Khanate,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized on the eve of the holiday.

It is the celebration of the dream of freedom pursued for generations, Tokayev said, recalling the Declaration of State Sovereignty adopted 33 years ago, which paved the way for Kazakhstan’s Independence.

The President acknowledged the collective effort, wisdom, and determination of patriots who defended national interests during that crucial period, struggling to overcome the challenges and robust discussions this declaration involved.

He highlighted Kazakhstan’s recent changes, emphasizing the importance of learning from past mistakes to ensure continuous progress.

In a short period, the country organized elections for various senior offices, demonstrating citizens’ increased political and electoral culture, whose participation in the political process has grown significantly.

Kazakhstan is moving toward fair wealth distribution, accelerated infrastructure modernization, entrepreneurship stimulation, and investment attraction for the benefit of all citizens.

As a sovereign state, Kazakhstan is committed to a balanced and constructive foreign policy aligned with national interests. It contributes to regional and global stability, Tokayev stated, expressing the country’s dedication to fostering constructive dialogue between world religions and supporting international security efforts based on the UN Charter.

“Kazakhstan will continue to pragmatically follow the principles of peace within – peace around, and unity in diversity,” the President concluded.

Kazakhstan’s Republic Day celebrated in Oslo

On the occasion of the national holiday of Kazakhstan, a gala reception was held in Oslo, organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Norway.

The event attended by representatives of public authorities of Norway, diplomatic corps accredited in Oslo, public figures, representatives of business, scientific and creative intelligentsia, as well as citizens of Kazakhstan and Norwegians.

H.E. Adil Tursunov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway has delivered a speech about the country’s main achievements over the years of independence, and also noted the success of Kazakhstan in strengthening its stand in the international landscape.

In his speech, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway, Adil Tursunov, noted that Republic Day is of particular importance for the era of the sovereign state. In this context, he informed the audience about Kazakhstan’s principal political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian achievements over the years of Independence.

His speech emphasized broad public support for democratic and social reforms implemented on the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. 

The Kazakh diplomat highlighted the state and prospects of multifaceted relations between Astana and Oslo.

During the reception, the Kazakh-Norwegian musician Almas Karakystyk performed several Kazakh musical compositions.

Guests were also presented with a video about the nature and cities of our beautiful country Kazakhstan.