Norwegian deputy foreign minister applauds India's leadership role in green economic transition

The visiting Deputy Minister at Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik has lauded India for being a "global leader when it comes to transitioning into a greener economy".

Speaking to WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "There is lots of creative thinking going on both in the Indian Government in terms of what is required to be more to be greener and its approach to how it gets its energy supplied".

The minister was in New Delhi for a key business conclave and held meeting with number of Indian ministers.

Also watch | We see India as a vital bridge builder to global south: Andreas Motzfeldt, Deputy FM of Norway

During the interview he revealed that the Norwegian climate and Investment Fund has invested $170 million in the Indian renewable sector, for the purposes of India achieving its climate goals.

He spoke on several issues, including the Ukraine conflict, the Israel Hamas conflict.

Sidhant Sibal: How do you characterise this relationship between India and Norway?

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: The relationship we have with India is very strong, very resilient. We see India as a vital partner for us in terms of achieving our core foreign policy objectives, which is essentially to ensure that we are able to tackle and address the biggest global challenges of our time, namely climate change, the preservation of multilateralism, the preservation of international law, and we see India as a vital bridge builder to the global south and a country that we are adamant to partner with and that we are able to find good solutions with on a whole host of a topic.

So the meetings I've had confirmed the relationship, that the relationship is strong, and that we're both committed, both India and Norway are both committed to preserving and advancing that relationship.

Also watch | Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik speaks to Wion

Sidhant Sibal: Areas of cooperation look like clean technology and Arctic, if you can shed some light on how you plan to collaborate or cooperate with India on that?

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: So both India and Norway have set very clear targets for how we want to transition into a greener economy and achieve our respective objectives under the Paris Agreement, so we want both, both our governments are determined to become carbon neutral. And that requires us to think long term and that requires us to think creatively in terms of how we organise our respective economies.

So we have had lots of good meetings now with various counterparts. I met with five ministers, I've met with various representatives of the Indian business sector, the Indian scientific community, Indian representatives of civil society, and it just confirmed again to me that India is a global leader when it comes to transitioning into a greener economy. There is lots of creative thinking going on both in the Indian government in terms of what is required to be more to be greener and its approach to how it gets its energy supplied, but also in terms of attaining new technology and moving forward with new means of production and energy sources.

So I have lots of things that I will take back to my counterparts back home, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Environment, and I think this the these two days in India so far have, again, just confirmed both our government's determination, but also our willingness and ability to move towards a greener economy and a greener future.

Sidhant Sibal: And on Arctic, how do you see the cooperation India's quite keen and interested in Arctic affairs?

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: I think both India and Norway are countries that are committed to finding good solutions for the Arctic. And that entails also very strong, a very strong commitment to science and finding ways to move forward on the basis of understanding the ecosystem in the Arctic. And understanding how the Arctic can play a very critical role in moving us towards a greener future.

We've had, I think, close to 70 projects now between Norwegian and Indian scientists now taking place over the course of just the last couple of years, and that's just testimony to this mutual commitment to investigating and finding solutions in the Arctic which is conducive to a greener future.

Sidhant Sibal: Norway next year, it is expected to host the India Nordic Summit. How do you see this mechanism for engagement between India and the Nordics and any agenda specifically you look at to put when the leaders of the five Nordic countries and Indian Prime Minister will be meeting

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: I think it's premature now to talk about the concrete agenda items. But the Nordic heads of state and also hopefully the Prime Minister of India will be determined to speak about the most pressing geopolitical issues that will be vital to address at that time in history, but also to discuss energy solutions and discuss how to combat climate change and discuss the blue economy and discuss other areas for both our governments, rather all our governments are committed to finding sustainable solutions to overcome some of the global challenges that we're faced with.

Sidhant Sibal: Any plans for Norwegian investment wealth fund, what kind of investment it has been doing globally, and India

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: That's something that we're very determined to, to help foster in India. So the Norwegian climate and Investment Fund has invested $170 million in the Indian renewable sector, for the purposes of India achieving its climate goals. So that's something that will continue and, again, it's testimony to our strong collaboration and our mutual determination to achieve our respective climate goals.

Sidhant Sibal: So my last question to you is on global geopolitics. We have several conflicts which are happening. One is of course in Europe, the Ukraine conflict, another in the West Asia region, what's your country's stance on these conflicts?

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik: So when it comes to the conflict in Europe, and Russia's aggression in Ukraine, we have been very clear from the start. We consider what Russia has done to be a violation of international law,  to be a violation of the UN Charter.

And we've been very clear in stating unequivocally that Russia needs to withdraw from the territories that it has tried to annex and that Ukraine has, under international law, a right to maintain its sovereignty. When it comes to Israel and Palestine. We see that as a very dramatic escalation and we have been very concerned.

We have been unequivocal in our condemnation of the vicious terrorist attack conducted by Hamas on Israeli civilians. And we've also been equally clear that Israel has a right to respond and act in self defense. But we have been concerned about the number of civilians that have been killed now with the course of the last few weeks close to 6000 children having died on the Gaza Strip.

So the Prime Minister, the foreign minister, and myself have been saying in no one equivocal terms, that there needs to be a humanitarian pause and end the hostilities that are ongoing.

We're glad to see the recent developments now in terms of hostages being released, and that some humanitarian aid has been allowed in and we want to see that continue.

But our overall message is perhaps that there needs to be now a sustainable resolution to this conflict, there needs to be a two state solution, which provides Israel with security and which provides the Palestinians with statehood.

And that's something that we're determined to try to facilitate and we're working with our Israeli colleagues and friends and our Palestinian colleagues and friends, and of course, other partners in the region as well as the United States and the EU and others in order to try to facilitate that.