Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva had a meeting with State Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Audun Halvorsen.
Ihor Zhovkva noted the achieved level of the Ukrainian-Norwegian interstate partnership and expressed willingness to maintain its further active dynamics. For this purpose, Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg was invited to pay an official visit to Ukraine.
The Deputy Head of the President's Office thanked Norway for its steadfast political support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for joining the regime of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation.
The Ukrainian party informed Audun Halvorsen of the developments in Donbas and the course of implementation of the agreements reached during the Normandy format meeting in Paris, in particular the steps for a complete ceasefire, the process of mutual release of the detained persons and the disengagement of forces. The Ukrainian party also thanked Norway for its national contribution to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and expressed expectations of enhancing the technical capabilities of the mission and its physical presence in the occupied areas.
Ihor Zhovkva informed the State Secretary of the forthcoming steps of Ukraine towards European integration. In this regard, the parties noted the importance of holding the next round of consultations in the framework of the Ukrainian-Norwegian Dialogue on European Integration in 2020, which is an important tool for exchanging experience on the rapprochement of Ukraine and Norway with the EU.
The Ukrainian party commended Norway's willingness to support the NATO Program for the Professional Development of Civilian Personnel in the Security and Defense Sector, and called for the further involvement in the Alliance’s Trust Funds for Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva praised the decision of the Norwegian Government at the end of 2019 to allocate almost $ 4 million to finance a three-year health cooperation project between Ukraine and Norway. It is especially important that the results of its implementation can be used by the Ukrainian servicemen who participated in the ATO and JFO.
The parties exchanged information on the latest steps in the implementation of the Ukrainian-Norwegian Energy Efficiency Initiative. The Norwegian Government plans to allocate $ 23 million for this project initiated in 2019. Projects to rebuild Donbas, including the repair of damaged public buildings, schools and hospitals, will also be implemented in the framework of this initiative. Ihor Zhovkva highly appreciated the humanitarian activities of Norway in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
The parties noted a steady increase in foreign trade between the two countries. Audun Halvorsen was also informed of the attention that the Ukrainian party is paying to Norwegian investments in renewable energy.
Special attention of the State Secretary was drawn to the role of Ukrainians in ensuring the victory in World War II and their participation in the liberation of Northern Norway from Nazi occupation in 1944.