On November 9, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian met with Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who arrived in Yerevan on an official visit.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that the visit of his Norwegian counterpart is a good opportunity to continue the dialogue that started last year during his visit to Norway and to discuss the steps to be undertaken towards the further development of the Armenian- Norwegian relations.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation to visit Yerevan, as well as for the warm reception, Jonas Gahr Støre expressed satisfaction that his visit coincides with solemn celebrations dedicated to the 150th anniversary of his renowned compatriot Fridtjof Nansen.

The discussions held in the negotiations were focused on the agenda issues of bilateral relations, the regional issues and the ways of their solution. The Ministers touched upon the organization of high-level visits, and agreed on more intensification of political dialogue between Armenia and Norway through regularly held consultations between the MFAs and promotion of the cooperation in the frames of the international organizations. The sides discussed issues related to the expansion of the legal framework, promotion of economic interaction and the intensification of cultural exchanges.

In the context of promotion of economic cooperation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Norway stressed the importance of launching the Armenian-Norwegian project – “Energy security directed to the sustainable development of hydro energy” by the participation of the Norsk Energi company, mentioning that it gives a good opportunity to expand the cooperation in the sphere of renewable energy.

The sides discussed issues related to the deepening of the interaction in the sphere of education. In this regard, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed readiness to observe the issue of creating wider opportunities for Armenian citizens to study in Norway.

Touching upon the implementation of conducting reforms in Armenia, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs highly assessed the steps undertaken by the Armenian authorities towards this direction.

Minister Nalbandian presented to his Norwegian counterpart the progress achieved in the relations between Armenia and the EU, and the regional policy of Armenia.
Jonas Gahr Støre informed about the main directions of foreign policy conducting by his country and the political and economic processes underway in the Northern Europe.

After the meeting, Edward Nalbandian and Jonas Gahr Støre signed an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway on exemption from visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports and the Memorandum on Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.

After the signing ceremony at the MFA, Ministers Nalbandian and Støre made the stamp redemption devoted to the 150th anniversary of Fridtjof Nansen.
Afterwards, a joint press conference of the Ministers took place.

In the second half of the day, the Ministers of Armenia and Norway will participate in the ceremony of unveiling the Fridtjof Nansen monument, and in the evening they will attend a concert dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Nansen.