The government of the Philippines and communist rebels are this week holding peace talks in Oslo, in a new effort to end their 40-year conflict. The meeting is hosted by Norwegian State Secretary Espen Barth Eide.
Formal talks between the two sides were last held in 2004, and the Oslo talks are seen as a breakthrough in the peace process.
These formal talks follow informal talks in Norway last month.
Norway has since 2001 been active in preparing the ground for talks between the Philippines government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
(NRK/Press release)
In his foreign policy address to Parliament (Stortinget), Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide said that we are living in a time of transition, a time of global changes in terms of power and influence.
..
“The Government will in 2013 give priority to increasing our knowledge of the High North, as well as to strengthening Norway’s activities and presence in the region,” says Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.
..
..
The Norwegian government is to provide NOK 105 million over a five-year period to the Research Council of Norway’s programme on Russia and international relations in the High North/Arctic (NORRUSS).
..
Commenting on the National Budget for next year, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says the budget reflects the fact that the High North is the Government’s most important strategic foreign policy priority.
..
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is on Monday visiting Norway for political talks with Foreign Minister Jons Gahr Støre.
..
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is said to have prevented King Harald from handing out the Military Cross to war veterans on Veterans Day, on Sunday May 8th, Dagbladet reports.
..
The High North is the Norwegian Government’s number one foreign policy priority, says Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, speaking at the Arctic Frontiers (AFT) 5th annual conference in Tromsø.
..
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has been widely criticised for allegedly having warned Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland about Chinese opposition to awarding the Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo.
..
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is in Afghanistan, where he has visited the Norwegian soldier who was wounded last Friday. He will also visit the two Norwegian military camps in Northern Afghanistan.
..
The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs has been given the responsibility for setting up a new, full-spectrum monitoring and information system for the Northern sea and coastal areas (“BarentsWatch”).
..
Hizbollah has strongly criticised UN's special envoy to the Middle East, the Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larsen, accusing him of being Israel's errand boy...
