On the first day of his visit, Minister Giske visited Mumbai.
-Mumbai will be more and more important for Norwegian trade in the years to come. Norwegian offshore and maritime sector have in particularly befitted from the steady growth in Mumbai, Giske said.
A joint working group in maritime sector was established between the Norwegian and Indian governments. A core project for the cooperation is “Sustainable Maritime Development”. In Mumbai Minister Giske also visited an Uninor outlets and was given a briefing on the opportunities in the Indian telecom market for the Norwegian company, Telenor. Telenor is the biggest Norwegian investor in the Indian market and one of the biggest foreign investors in the Indian telecom market.
- We see that the industry needs additional assistance from the Norwegian authorities in India. Therefore, we prioritize trade agreement negotiations between EFTA and India, Giske said.
In New Delhi Minister Giske had political meetings and participated in the last day of an international renewable energy conference, the Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference, and the oil- and gas conference Petrotech. Norway was a partner country to the Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference (DIREC) and minister Giske held the closing remarks in the last day of the conference.
In a meeting with the Indian Minister of Trade and Industry, Anand Sharma, Giske emphasized that Norwegian and Indian companies have complementary expertise in many areas, and that increased cooperation will be of benefit to both countries.
- The meeting with Sharma was constructive. A trade agreement between EFTA and India will benefit both. To ensure better progress, we have now agreed to establish a bilateral commission, Giske said.
Pictures from Giske’s visit can be found on flickr.
Link to information about the Norway’s free trade agreements.
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