Norway on Thursday commended Pakistan’s “important and constructive role” to mediate between the United States and Iran amid the Middle East conflict.

The development came as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held delegation-level talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day, the first such visit in a decade.

“Both sides reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, climate change, maritime affairs and education. They recognised the important role of the Pakistani diaspora in Norway and agreed to strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries,” the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The two sides expressed satisfaction at the warm and cordial state of Pakistan-Norway relations and agreed to further deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest,” it said.

The FO said the two sides also held in-depth discussions on regional and international developments of mutual interest.

“The Norwegian foreign minister commended Pakistan’s important and constructive role during the recent Iran-US conflict, including the leadership and contributions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, DPM Dar and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir,” it said.

In televised remarks, Eide appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and expressed Norway’s desire to further strengthen bilateral ties.

He said Norway and Pakistan had a “very strong bilateral partnership”, adding that the presence of a large Pakistani community in Norway, which was “well integrated into Norwegian society”, had helped strengthen ties between the two countries.

“There are many leading politicians in Norway and many close colleagues who are actually of Pakistani-Norwegian descent, so it has really made a mark,” he said.

Eide said business ties between the two countries were also growing, particularly in the energy and fertiliser sectors, with Norwegian companies increasingly looking at opportunities in Pakistan.

He said Norway also saw opportunities for Pakistan to strengthen economic relations through its cooperation with Switzerland and Iceland, noting that the three countries could provide further avenues for expanding business relations.

Turning to the regional situation, Eide strongly commended the actions taken by Pakistan’s leadership, including the prime minister and foreign minister, in efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.

Eide described the ongoing war as “incredibly dangerous” for global peace as well as the world economy, and praised Pakistan for stepping forward. He also appreciated Pakistan’s role in facilitating the Islamabad talks and maintaining engagement with the parties involved.

“I think it is fair to say that the position of Pakistan on the world stage, also in peacemaking, has really been strengthened by this commitment,” he said.

Eide said Norway was ready to assist Pakistan’s peace efforts, noting that Oslo had experience in peace negotiations and maintained open dialogue with both Tehran and Washington.

“Wherever we can be useful, we will,” he said.

He also highlighted Norway’s experience in international maritime affairs, saying the country was among the world’s major seafaring nations despite its relatively small population.

He said Norway could therefore play a constructive role in discussions concerning international maritime law and developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Dar, Eide discuss bilateral ties

Earlier, the two ministers held a “restricted-format meeting”.

“DPM Dar warmly welcomed Eide to Pakistan. The two ministers discussed the full range of bilateral relations, as well as regional and international developments, and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest,” it said.

Upon his arrival in Islamabad, Eide was received at the airport by Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Ambassador Ayesha Ali.

In a statement on Wednesday, the FO said the minister is undertaking the visit from Aug 13-14 at Dar’s invitation. During the visit, the two will hold delegation-level talks covering the full spectrum of Pakistan-Norway relations, it said.

“The two sides will discuss avenues for further expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and investment, climate change, renewable energy, education and people-to-people contacts.

“They will also exchange views on important regional and international developments,” it added.

It said that the visit would build on high-level engagement between the two countries, including phone conversation between Dar and Eide in March and April, and the visit of Norway’s State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik to Islamabad in May.

The FO stated that the visit would provide an opportunity to “further strengthen the longstanding and cordial relations between Pakistan and Norway and to explore new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation”.