With an industrial partnership spanning 50 years, Norway is looking to further expand its relationship with Qatar to cover more areas of co-operation in areas, such as the health sector, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen has said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a gala dinner held Monday at the National Museum of Qatar, Isaksen said Qatar and Norway share an economic relationship in the fields of defence, maritime industries, and technology development.
Both countries are looking to expand on these fields further, the minister said, citing similarities between Qatar and Norway’s geographic and population size, as well as being highly-developed and highly-sophisticated economies, with energy and maritime industries as key areas, among others.
Isaksen said there is also a huge potential for co-operation in the areas of healthcare and the health industry.
“There is absolutely potential for partnerships in these areas because there is business history and Norwegian presence in Qatar. In fact, it’s easier to see how that collaboration can be put into new areas, as well though I have to admit the biggest areas for the future will still be in aluminium, maritime industry, and oil and gas,” Isaksen told Gulf Times.
During the meeting between His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, Isaksen said both leaders discussed how Norway and Qatar can co-operate in areas like knowledge, research, energy, and green, climate-friendly technologies.
Asked about the value of Norway’s investments in Qatar, the minister said Norwegian investments in Qatar currently stand at $10bn, adding that there is still room for expansion in sectors oil and gas, maritime technology, industrial production, fertiliser, and agriculture, among other areas.
In a speech during the gala dinner, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway said Norwegian companies are engaged in a variety of Qatari industrial sectors, including maritime, energy, and defence, as well as aluminium production and agriculture.
Thanking His Highness the Amir, he said, “By continuing our co-operation, we can share knowledge and technology to help us find innovative and effective solutions to these challenges.
“We have a shared responsibility to promote sustainable economic growth; with so many prominent guests and business leaders present in this gala dinner, I am confident that we will inspire each other and that together, we will be able to build a prosperous future based on solutions, and respect for the environment, as well as the welfare of the people.”
In prepared speeches distributed to the media, Yara president and CEO Svein Tore Holsether said the company’s collaboration with Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) is expanding into food production.
“By using modern fertigation techniques, we are growing quality vegetables in greenhouses. Our joint efforts will drive Qatar food production at an industrial scale with world-class technology. This can inspire the rest of the food industry, demonstrating what is possible with true collaboration,” Holsether said.
Norsk Hydro president and CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim said, “When Norsk Hydro invested in Qafco 50 years ago, it was the largest investment a Norwegian company had ever made abroad. It was the start of a strong partnership that has led to several world-class industrial projects in Qatar…I am confident that the future will continue brining new opportunities to the Qatar-Norway industrial partnership.”
Kongsberg president and CEO Geir Haoy said: “The co-operation between Qatar and Kongsberg is in a strategically important area and will represent a difference. The 50th anniversary marks not only the achievement in the past, but also the start of new and great co-operation over the next 50 years.”
Equinor president and CEO Eldar S?tre said the company is also establishing a local presence in Qatar, building on the long-lasting collaboration between Norwegian and Qatari industry.
“By getting a foothold in Qatar, we are eager to explore areas of mutual interest, such as LNG, technology to increase recovery rates, and digitalisation to grow a long-term, sustainable energy business,” he said.

Related Story