20 May 2015 – A delegation composed of officials of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) and students of NDCP’s 50th Master in National Security Administration (MNSA) Program visited Norway from May 11 to 18. The 26-member delegation was led by NDCP President Dr. Fermin R. De Leon Jr., PhD, accompanied by his spouse, three NDCP officials, and 21 MNSA students composed of senior military officers, civilian government officials, select executives from the private sector, and allied officers from Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
The study visit is part of the MNSA Program’s Regional Security and Development Study (RSDS) component, wherein the students visit selected countries in a given region to provide an opportunity for them to interact with key officials and stakeholders in the focus area and identify important issues and lessons learned on development and national security. This year’s RSDS was conducted in Europe, with simultaneous visits of two other MNSA groups to Spain and Germany.
The NDCP group visited the Embassy to pay a courtesy call on Philippine Ambassador to Norway Bayani S. Mercado, and were briefed on the Embassy’s functions, coverage area, and important aspects of Philippines-Norway relations such as both countries’ long-standing tradition of maritime cooperation, Norway’s significant role in the peace process between the Philippine Government and the CPP-NPA-NDF, as well as with the Bangsamoro group, and bilateral trade and investments.
The delegation visited a total of seven Norwegian Ministries, namely, the Ministries of Defense, Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Foreign Affairs, Labor and Social Affairs, Local Government and Modernisation, Agriculture and Food, and Finance, their counterpart institution, the Norwegian National Defense College, as well as the Oslo City Hall. They were briefed on these agencies mandates and functions, and opportunities for cooperation were also explored.
Of particular interest to the group were the visits to the Defense Ministry, where they gained valuable insights on Norway’s defense and security policies and interests, and the visit to the Foreign Ministry, where a productive discussion on Norway’s foreign policy thrusts, Philippines-Norway bilateral relations, and Norway’s important role in the Philippine peace processes with the CPP-NPA-NDF and with the MILF were discussed. END