New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was set to meet Jonas Ghar Store, Prime Minister of Norway, and hold bilateral meetings with Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg along with Minister for Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth, it was announced on Monday.

She will also hold a roundtable discussion with Norwegian CEO and investors and engage with the diaspora at a community event, according to a Finance Ministry post on X.

“During her two-day visit in Oslo, the Union Finance Minister will call on Jonas Ghar Store, the Prime Minister of Norway; hold bilateral meetings with Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Minister for Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth, besides engagements at the Oslo Science Park where she will interact with start-ups,” the ministry informed.

Earlier, FM Sitharaman met top leaders and industrialists during her visit to Germany and discussed bilateral trade relations in the backdrop of the EU-India FTA deal.

She met Keith Svendsen, Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals, in Munich. Svendsen spoke about the positive and long-standing relationship of Maersk with India and mentioned key investments and partnerships with India across its maritime ecosystem.

He also conveyed the intention to continue expanding this association across India, said the ministry.

Svendsen also appreciated India reform initiatives over the years, especially, deregulation and ease of doing business, and also mentioned about the key announcements made during the recent Budget including the one related to container manufacturing.

The two also discussed the advantages of the recently concluded India EU-FTA, with regard to opening up Indian and European markets and potential benefits for businesses on both sides in the future.

Finance Minister met Lars Klingbeil, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance, Germany and discussed the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in India in January this year that strengthened bilateral relations, particularly in defence, trade, and technology.

Klingbeil, in the meeting with Sitharaman, called the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) a big step for trade and investments in India, and especially focused on the bilateral development cooperation and also the Metro rail expansion in India, according to the X post by Finance Ministry.

She apprised Klingbeil about the success of India’s Digital Payment systems and willingness to share the best practices on India’s digital stack with Germany.

Sitharaman also met Brigitte Haas, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, and Alois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, in Munich.

—IANS

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