ASEAN, NORWAY CHART PATH FORWARD WITH 2026-2030 PLAN
By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, June 13 (Bernama) -- ASEAN and Norway have pledged to strengthen cooperation under a new 2026–2030 action plan.
In a statement on Friday, the ASEAN Secretariat said Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn’s working visit to Oslo this week at the invitation of the Norwegian government, demonstrated the depth of ASEAN-Norway ties over the past decade and reaffirmed both sides’ commitment to strengthening the partnership.
The ASEAN Secretariat said the visit underscored the growing and multifaceted cooperation between ASEAN and Norway since the formalisation of the Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in 2015.
According to the statement, both parties looked forward to the finalisation of the ASEAN-Norway Practical Cooperation Areas (2026-2030).
“It is ambitious yet practical and implementable, and will serve as a framework for tangible cooperation in the years ahead,” it said.
The ASEAN Secretariat said ASEAN and Norway also shared the commitment to further strengthening cooperation on sustainable ocean management and green transition, trade and investment, as well as on peace and conflict management and human rights.
While in Oslo, Kao held talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth on regional and global developments, trade and investment, and joint efforts on sustainable ocean governance and the blue economy.
Both sides reaffirmed their support for a rules-based international order and committed to advancing practical cooperation under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as well as the importance of ASEAN Centrality and inclusive regional frameworks.
Kao met with members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly delegation at the Norwegian Parliament, and delivered remarks at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the Centre of Geopolitics.
At the Oslo Forum, he exchanged views with stakeholders on regional peace, diplomacy, and conflict resolution, before visiting Bergen, where Kao held engagements with Norwegian businesses and institutions working on circular economy models, smart city development, and sustainable maritime industries.
-- BERNAMA
