Bilateral Relations:
Nepal and Norway established diplomatic relations on 26 January 1973. Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Nepal and Norway have been enjoying friendly, cordial and cooperative relations. Norway opened its residential embassy in Kathmandu in January 2000. Nepal does not have a residential embassy in Norway. The Embassy of Nepal in Copenhagen is concurrently accredited to Norway. Nepal has its Honorary Consulate General in Oslo.
Nepal and Finland share common views on many global issues and have been supporting each other in various international fora including the United Nations.
Meetings/Exchange of Visits
Meetings and exchange of visits at various levels have further strengthened the bilateral ties between Nepal and Norway.
Rt. Hon. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway in Geneva on 10 June 2019 on the sidelines of the ILO Centenary Conference. Similarly, Foreign Minister Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had meeting with the Minister of International Development of Norway Mr. Nikolai Astrup in September 2018 in the sidelines of the 73rd UNGA in New York.
Other visits from the Nepali side include the visit of Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ in 2009, Foreign Ministers Mr. Upendra Yadav (2009), Chakra Prasad Bastola (2000) and Speaker of the House of Representative Dhaman Nath Dhungana (1993).
From the Norwegian side the recent visit includes the visit of Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development in May 2023.
Other visits from Norway in the past include the visit of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg in 2008, Foreign Ministers Borge Brende (2015) and Knut Vollebaek (2000), Ministers for International Development Dag-Inge Ulstein (2019), Mr. Nikolai Astrup (2018), Mr. Heikki Holmas (2012), Mr. Erik Solheim (2007) and Ms. Hilde F. Johnson (1999).
Bilateral Consultation Mechanism:
A Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) between the Foreign Ministries of Nepal and Norway was signed on 04 November 2019. The Mechanism provides an opportunity to discuss the bilateral relations and cooperation as well as share views on matters of regional and global common concerns.
The first meeting of the BCM was held in Oslo in June 2022.
Parliamentary Cooperation
A five-member Nepal-Norway Parliamentary Friendship Group has been constituted in the Federal Parliament of Nepal in December 2024 to further strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries.
Development Cooperation:
Norway’s official cooperation with Nepal started in 1964. Today, Nepal is one of Norway’s partner countries for long-term development.
Government-to-government development cooperation commenced with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 1996. In accordance with Nepal's own priorities, Norway had chosen to concentrate its assistance on basic and primary education, hydropower and energy, human rights, decentralisation and peace support through UN agencies, good governance and private sector development (with focus on hydropower and electrification). Besides government-to-government cooperation, Norway has channelled its assistance through multilateral agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.
Norway and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2013 for bilateral cooperation covering the period from 2013-2017. The MoU determined that Norway would concentrate its assistance to the sectors of democracy and inclusive governance, education and energy, both on and off grid. Cross-cutting issues such as environment, gender equality and anti-corruption are of high priority.
The Norwegian government provided emergency relief during earthquake in 2015. Norway also pledged over 150 million USD during the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction (ICNR) held in Kathmandu in June 2015.
Norway annually offers NORAD fellowships to Nepal in different fields of higher study.
The Norway’s support is primarily focused on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The key cooperation areas of Norway are primarily on education, clean energy and governance.
In addition to the direct bilateral development assistance, Norway provides significant support to Nepal through multilateral organizations, including contribution to global funds and channels the funds through multilateral organizations and international and national non-government organizations.
Trade and Investment:
With the view to promoting bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, Nepal and Norway signed an Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTAA) in 1996.
Major export items from Nepal includes tea, coffee, felt, special yarn and clothing accessories. Similarly, Nepal imports fish, electrical machinery and equipment, sound recorders, pharmaceuticals items, nuclear reactor etc.
The table below reflects the export/import trend between the two countries.
Value in USD ‘000’
|
Year |
Export |
Import |
Trade Balance |
|
2020 |
1,198 |
2,771 |
-1,573 |
|
2021 |
1,515 |
2,861 |
-1,346 |
|
2022 |
1,418 |
9,38 |
480 |
Source: TEPC
As of July 2023, there were 16 project with the Norwegian FDI of total NRs. 1165.33 million creating 845 jobs.
Tourism and People-to-People relations
Over 3,000 Norwegian tourists visit Nepal every year. Similarly, there are approximately 4,000 Nepali estimated to be living in Norway. These Norwegian tourists and the Nepali community living in Norway are contributing to further cementing the Nepal-Norway bilateral ties.
Europe and Americas Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As of January 2025
