13 February 2015 - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario visited Norway from February 11 to 12 upon the invitation of Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende, reaffirming the growing partnership between the Philippines and Norway across many sectors.
During his tête-à-tête with Secretary Del Rosario, Minister Brende expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the Mamasapano tragedy but also expressed hope that the pursuit of peace in Mindanao would continue despite the latest serious challenge. He assured the Philippines’ top diplomat that Norway remained fully committed to a long-term engagement in the Mindanao Peace Process.
Secretary Del Rosario thanked Minister Brende for his sympathy. He also expressed appreciation for Norway’s role in the Mindanao Peace Process as a member of the International Monitoring Team and as Vice-Chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body. The Secretary assured Minister Brende of the Philippines’ resolve to see through the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro while being fully committed to finding justice for the slain police officers.
Referring to bilateral cooperation in the maritime sector, Secretary Del Rosario expressed appreciation for Norway’s technical assistance in ensuring that the country’s maritime education and training institutes meet the standards required by the International Convention on Standards of Timekeeping, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW Convention). This has resulted in the continued recognition of Philippine-issued licenses and certificates by the European Union (EU), a requirement for Filipino seafarers for employment as officers in EU-flagged vessels.
With over 25,000 Filipino seafarers on board Norwegian-owned and -managed vessels, Minister Brende noted that it was in the common interest of both countries to continue efforts to achieve adequate progress in meeting STCW requirements.
Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress of the proposed free trade agreement between the Philippines and the European Free Trade Association (PH-EFTA FTA). Norway is the largest member of this four-country association which also includes Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Negotiations are set to commence next month after the conclusion of the scoping exercise.
The two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in multilateral organizations, including mutual support of candidatures in the United Nations.
Earlier, Secretary Del Rosario met with the Chair and members of the Norwegian Parliament’s (the Storting) Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
In the bilateral consultations held the day before, Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson and Norwegian Director General Tore Hattrem agreed to strengthen relations in the energy sector, disaster risk reduction, water, social security and law enforcement.
Secretary Del Rosario was assisted by Ambassador Bayani Mercado in his first-ever visit to Norway, which is home to about 18,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Norwegians. END