State Secretary of Norway to visit Sri Lanka this week to strengthen bilateral and trade ties
Norwegian State Secretary Marianne Hagen is scheduled to make a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka this week from 5 to 6 March.
Hagen will be a guest at a ‘Kids can code’ event organised jointly by Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) and their Norwegian sister organisation ICT Norway.
She will also be present at the signing ceremony of a Letter of Intent between the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka and SLASSCOM about expanding their cooperation in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector for sustainable employment and innovation.
The Norwegian State Secretary’s visit to Sri Lanka is expected to provide an opportunity for the two countries to discuss ways to build partnership in areas of common interest ranging from business and healthy oceans to a rules-based world order and sustainable development.
During the visit, Hagen will call on Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the country’s Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana as well as Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
In addition, she will meet with representatives from the Office of Mission Persons (OMP), Human Rights Commission, civil society and business.
Since Norway took over the presidency of the Mine Ban Treaty in 2018, Hagen is also expected to visit demining sites in the North.
OSL take:
The visit by Norway’s State Secretary to Sri Lanka would further strengthen ties between the two countries. The discussion to be held between the Norwegian official and Sri Lankan officials on the ICT sector as well as other areas including healthy oceans and sustainable development would ensure a partnership between the two countries in programmes related to the respective sectors. Therefore, Norwegian businesses/ investors could explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Sri Lankan businesses could also reach out to Norwegian businesses/investors to form joint ventures.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20190305/Z_4 |