Introductory remarks on the key pillars of Norwegian foreign policy, at the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), Islamabad, Pakistan

Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway

13 December 2006

Extract of the Minister’s talking points

Check against delivery

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

• It is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to visit your country. Pakistan is an important and active global player, and of key importance to regional stability and development.
• There are a wide range of people-to-people contacts between Norway and Pakistan. Earlier today I had a very fruitful meeting with Foreign Minister Kasuri, and it is our common ambition to continue developing the political and economic cooperation between our two countries.
• I am also very pleased to have this opportunity to visit the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA). We have noted with keen interest the very important and strategic role SAFMA has played on the subcontinent in promoting a political climate that is more conducive to addressing particular challenges both at national level in some of the countries and at the bilateral level. SAFMA’s role as “door opener” and as a tool for confidence-building measures has also been duly noted.
• In this context it is interesting that the recent report concluding an external review by independent consultants of SAFMA’s role and achievements paints a very positive picture. I wish SAFMA all the best, also in connection with the establishment of the Afghanistan Chapter next year.
• Having been asked to share with you the main foundations of Norway’s foreign policy, I will now proceed to present the key pillars of Norwegian foreign policy:
• • Firstly, strong support for the United Nations system and the promotion of international law and rules that frame the rights and obligations of all states;
  • Secondly, the NATO alliance and close relations with the European Union, our Nordic neighbours and our key partners on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as with like-minded nations across the world;
  • Thirdly, an active quest for opportunities to promote peace and reconciliation, to combat poverty and to stand up for human rights and human dignity. The third pillar is largely dependent on the first two. Well anchored in the UN and in NATO, and in concert with our EU partners, we will seek to add value to global efforts to promote peace and development. Norway can only thrive internationally through close cooperation and partnerships.
• Since its inception the United Nations has been of key importance to us. Norway will always work for a world order where conflicts of interests are not transformed into a confrontation of muscles, be they military, political or economic.
• Much needs to be reformed and improved at the United Nations. But the UN will never be better than the sum of the efforts that we, the member states, put into it. We will support every effort to strengthen the UN as our global, common tool to promote peace, development and justice. We will stand ready to push important UN initiatives forward, such as the critical agenda of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
• In this regard I would like to thank the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Shaukat Aziz, for his strong commitment and the valuable efforts he has made by co-chairing the High-Level Panel on UN reform together with the Prime Minister of Mozambique, Ms Luisa Diogo, and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Mr Jens Stoltenberg. The Panel has provided very useful recommendations of how the UN can be improved, and we appreciate Pakistan’s commitment to this process and its willingness to participate in piloting the recommendations of the Panel.
• Although Norway is not a member of the European Union, it has very close ties to the Union. Few EU member states have more extensive trade relations with the EU area than Norway. The agreement on the European Economic Area includes Norway in the internal market with equal rights and obligations. We are supporting the new member states through the EEA Financial Mechanisms. Norway is a Schengen member. We also maintain a close dialogue with the EU on foreign and security policy.
• Norway is deeply committed to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and to securing its future as a viable, functioning state with a development agenda for all its people. We are engaged in extensive development programmes focused on improving education, public administration and living conditions. Afghans must feel secure, and they must experience that democracy leads to a better life. We have also increased Norwegian participation in ISAF.
• Cross-border militant activity is an area of concern. We therefore strongly encourage the efforts Pakistan and Afghanistan are making to address this issue through political dialogue and to promote trade and development that will be to the benefit of both countries.
• Norway is prepared to shoulder its share of the burden when military contributions are required, provided the mandate is clearly anchored in international law. But we also have a role to play in preventing conflict or in helping to put an end to them. When it comes to the contribution of troops, we need to focus. During the past 10 years we have been active in the Balkans. We are now concentrating on Afghanistan. And in the future we will stand ready to respond to the needs of UN operations, especially in Africa.
• In recent years we have seen some quite significant improvements in Africa, both in terms of economic growth and a development towards peace and stability. But there are still some serious unresolved conflicts, like those in Sudan and Somalia. We are pleased that the African countries themselves, through the African Union and other regional organisations, are making concerted efforts to deal with these problems. It is, however, important that the international community as a whole continues to stand by Africa in these efforts.
• Unique circumstances and the extraordinary efforts of a few individuals offered Norway the opportunity to assist the Israelis and Palestinians in the early 1990s, leading to the Oslo agreements in 1993. The process was owned by the parties. Both parties had to make sacrifices. Unfortunately the parties have still a long way to go to achieve peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect and tolerance.
• The same approach has helped bring forward the peace process in Sri Lanka. Norway has also been able to assist the parties in Sudan in their painful path towards peace.
• We will continue to seek such opportunities. A third party with no direct interest in the outcome of a given conflict can play a role – primarily as a facilitator, at times as a mediator.
• Stabilising and rebuilding failed or failing states is a huge and complex task that requires seamless transitions and long-term commitment. More than half of all peace agreements fail, and the parties slide back into war. A number of conflicts are contributing to international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, ethnic hatred, environmental and economic crises or large refugee flows.
• Then there are other opportunities for change that we need to seize. Let me give you one example: Six years ago, when Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg formed his first government, he became aware of the initial efforts to forge a new alliance for immunising the world’s children. He was struck by the unacceptable injustice of the fact that all Norwegian infants are immunised, whereas in some African countries only one in ten receives this magic shot. As an economist, he knew that immunisation was among the most cost-effective means of combating disease, promoting health and helping children to grow up, and that such measures are the key to economic growth and development in poorer countries. As a politician he decided to do something about it. Norway seized the opportunity and took the lead among nations to support the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization, a partnership that includes the UN family, the pharmaceutical industry, private organisations and NGOs. As a result of this initiative, more than a million lives have been saved by the scaling up of immunisation programmes.
• The new Stoltenberg Government will work in the same mode, focusing on achieving MDG-4, which is to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015. In total, Norway will contribute USD 1 billion for vaccination and immunisation, and I am pleased that Pakistan will be one of our partner countries. If we succeed in working effectively together, we will be able to proudly tell the world in 2015 that we changed history.
• Norway contributed approximately USD 80 million as emergency relief following the devastating earthquake in 2005. In addition, an agreement on a dept swap of USD 20 million was signed recently, not only reducing the foreign debt by the same amount, but at the same time earmarking the corresponding amount for rehabilitation efforts in the earthquake-affected areas.
• Let me end this reflection on development by stressing how important it is that we succeed in the ongoing WTO negotiations. This round has been called the Development Round. We are all aware that a balanced and comprehensive agreement will only be possible if it has a solid development dimension and addresses the needs and interest of all WTO members.
• As a development partner, Norway will continue to assist Pakistan in its efforts to achieve national goals, particularly in the field of primary education and education for girls and in its efforts to reduce child mortality. Some of the greatest gains a country can achieve, both economically and politically, come from empowering women, ensuring equal opportunities, improving health care and increasing the ratio of women’s active participation in the political and economic life of their communities. Norway is also providing support for the comprehensive devolution process currently being implemented in Pakistan.
• Together, we have established a framework for institutional cooperation, which holds great promise for increased cooperation between our two countries. The framework offers flexibility for professional cooperation in fields prioritised by our countries, and allows Pakistani and Norwegian institutions to benefit from each other’s expertise and experience.