Islamabad, August 13, 2026: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has expressed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen economic and trade ties with Norway, inviting Norwegian companies to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector.
The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who called on him at the Prime Minister House on Thursday.
Welcoming the Norwegian foreign minister, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the warm and cordial relations between Pakistan and Norway and appreciated Norway’s bilateral cooperation with Pakistan, particularly in education, skilled labour, climate resilience and technology.
The prime minister emphasised the importance of expanding bilateral trade and invited Norwegian companies to invest in Pakistan’s oil and gas exploration sector.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments. Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated Norway’s strong and principled position in support of Palestine and thanked Oslo for its consistent support for Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace in the Gulf.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide thanked the prime minister for the warm reception and conveyed the good wishes of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to him.
The Norwegian foreign minister praised Pakistan’s significant contribution to regional peace efforts and reaffirmed Norway’s interest in further expanding bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors.
He particularly appreciated the positive contribution of the Pakistani diaspora in Norway, highlighting the community’s role in strengthening relations and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also invited the Norwegian prime minister to undertake an official visit to Pakistan.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Masood Malik, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi and senior officials.
The visit by the Norwegian foreign minister comes amid renewed high-level engagement between Pakistan and Norway, with both sides seeking to broaden cooperation in trade, investment, climate action, education, technology and other areas of mutual interest.
