India-Norway trade has potential for expansion: Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said there is scope for expansion of bilateral trade between India and Norway when Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"Welcoming the Norwegian Prime Minister to India, the President said that India and Norway share warm and friendly relations," the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.

"As two vibrant democracies, with deep respect for the rule of law, cultural diversity and human rights, we are natural partners," it stated.

According to the statement, Kovind said that "India-Norway bilateral trade has been growing but there is potential for expansion" and referred to the energy, IT, health and technology sectors as presenting opportunities.

"Norwegian capability in shipping, port management, fishing, defence and energy is globally known," the statement said.

"India seeks Norwegian partnerships in these areas to support its own programmes such as Make in India, Smart Cities, Clean India, Start-up India and the Sagarmala project," it added.

Earlier in the day, Solberg held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following which an agreement on India-Norway Ocean Dialogue was signed.

She also delivered the inaugural speech at this year's Raisina Dialogue, India's flagship annual geopolitical and geostrategic conference organised by the External Affairs Ministry in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) think tank.

--IANS

ab/prs