Diplomatic warmth defined the February 18 interaction between Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre and India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who received accolades for India’s reform momentum. Støre voiced thrilled expectancy for PM Narendra Modi’s late-2025 Norway sojourn.
Blueprints emerged for alliance-building in aquaculture, healthcare innovation, seafaring, and cosmic endeavors, alongside nods to Norway’s Indian diaspora.
The Finance Ministry outlined EFTA-TEPA progress, flagging collaborations in precision engineering, carbon sequestration, venture ecosystems, silicon tech, renewables, and waste-to-wealth models.
Sitharaman’s Oslo engagements featured dialogues with Minister Cecilie Myrseth on trade and Secretary Ivan Tronstad Sjøbakken on oceans, targeting sustainability in rare earths, naval commerce, vessel construction, and fisheries pacts.
Myrseth’s team anticipates Modi’s visit keenly; Sjøbakken lauded India’s maritime footprint. TEPA’s on-time rollout, per Sitharaman, promises win-win outcomes.
In a strategic investor conclave with 35+ CEOs, she pitched India’s dynamism as the globe’s top expander, tying into Budget 2026-27’s de-bureaucratization drive.