Why in News ?
Norwegian businesses are showing a lot of interest in India and a manifold in- crease in cooperation bet- ween the two countries is expected in the next 10 years, May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, said on 6th June.
What are the relations between India and Norway ?
India – Norway relations are the relations between the countries of India and Norway. Since the independence of India in 1947, the two nations have maintained a strong relationship as with India’s relations with other Nordic countries.
India has an embassy in Oslo and honorary consulates in Bergen and Trondheim. Norway has an embassy in New Delhi and three consulates-general in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.
In 2014, India and Norway signed 13 agreements to help strengthen the ties between India and Norway as well as other Nordic nations.
Today’s News :
In an interaction with journalists of The Hindu in Chennai, while responding to a question on the role of Norway in the recently signed trade pact between India and the four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA) bloc, Ms. Stener said, “Norwegian businesses are showing a lot of interest here because India is the fifth-largest and fastest-growing economy in the world.
The treaty has immense importance because the Western businesses also feel secure and can now rely on this framework for them to operate within.
She said Norway will contribute a lot in terms of promoting investments in India. “EFTA’s [pact with India] is the first trade treaty with an investment chapter.
We have committed to promoting investments in India in the coming years. Altogether, we [EFTA countries] wanted to create a million jobs and Norway will contribute a considerable part of that.
We will also work on strengthening relations between the governments including with the State governments in India, and business-to-business and people-to-people.”