ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Norway on Thursday agreed to deepen trade, investment and strategic cooperation, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Norwegian companies to invest in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector, while visiting Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide praised Islamabad’s mediatory role in the US-Iran conflict as a “service to the world”.
During a series of meetings with the country’s civilian and military leadership, the two sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, technology, climate resilience, maritime affairs, skilled labour and security, while also exchanging views on regional developments. The visit is the first by a Norwegian foreign minister to Pakistan in a decade.
Mr Eide called on PM Shehbaz at the Prime Minister House, where the premier expressed satisfaction over the “warm and cordial” bilateral relationship and appreciated Norway’s cooperation with Pakistan in education, skilled labour, climate resilience and technology.
Expressing Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral trade, PM Shehbaz invited Norwegian companies to invest in oil and gas exploration.
During discussions on regional and global developments, the prime minister appreciated Norway’s position in support of Palestine and thanked Oslo for supporting Pakistan’s peace efforts in the Gulf region.
Mr Eide praised Pakistan’s role in regional peace efforts and reaffirmed Norway’s interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation across various sectors. He also highlighted the contribution of the Pakistani diaspora to Norwegian society.
PM Shehbaz extended an invitation to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to visit Pakistan.
Pakistan’s peace role
Earlier, addressing a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Mr Eide strongly praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran conflict.
“What you have been doing is really a service to the world, and hence, also to us,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
He said Norway had been among the Western countries to oppose the outbreak of the war on the grounds of international law, stressing that such principles had to apply “to everyone, everywhere, all the time”.
The Norwegian minister acknowledged the difficulty involved in mediation and praised Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership for taking on the task of facilitating talks.
Mr Eide said the diplomatic effort was also important for Norway because of its status as a major shipping nation, stressing the need to preserve open sea lanes and freedom of navigation.
He said free passage through strategic waterways was not merely an issue for the parties involved in the conflict but a matter of global interest.
“We share an interest in open sea lanes and the ability to trade in the high seas,” he said.
Mr Eide said Norway was willing to assist Pakistan’s peace efforts wherever possible, noting Oslo’s experience in peace negotiations and its channels of communication with both Tehran and Washington. He also said the two sides discussed Afghanistan, Kashmir and the recently signed defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
Trade, investment push
Mr Dar said Pakistan and Norway had agreed to expand cooperation in trade and investment, education, defence, climate change, information technology and maritime affairs.
The two sides agreed that bilateral trade remained below the potential of their economies and needed to be increased through practical measures.
Mr Dar highlighted Norwegian investment in Pakistan, including a planned joint venture between Yara International and Fauji Fertiliser in plant nutrition.
He said technology cooperation had emerged as a particularly promising area, with Pakistan’s IT exports to Norway increasing more than five-fold during the past two years.
The two countries also agreed to expedite pending agreements and memoranda of understanding and expand cooperation on climate change, maritime affairs and labour mobility.
Mr Dar said the two sides would continue work on legal pathways for Pakistani skilled workers while cooperating to combat human smuggling and irregular migration.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s ship-recycling capacity and said its geographical location could make it a competitive destination for Norwegian vessels.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen people-to-people contacts, with both sides acknowledging the role played by the sizeable Pakistani-origin community in Norway.
Mr Eide said economic ties were growing, particularly in energy and fertiliser, and Norwegian companies were increasingly exploring opportunities in Pakistan.
He also noted the potential for business cooperation through Norway’s economic links with Switzerland and Iceland.
Separately, the Norwegian foreign minister called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the two discussed bilateral relations, regional security and matters of mutual interest and reiterated their resolve to strengthen cooperation in defence and security.
Field Marshal Munir highlighted Pakistan’s perspective on regional stability and the importance of cooperation in addressing common security challenges, while Mr Eide appreciated the role of Pakistan’s armed forces in promoting regional peace.
Syed Irfan Raza also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026
