PeakNews Online
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, on Tuesday in Abuja reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to bolstering trade relations with Nordic countries.
Tuggar stated this while speaking on the outcome of a closed-door meeting with the foreign affairs ministers of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and Norway.
The Nordic countries are a geographical and cultural region that traverses northern Europe and the North Atlantic zones.
“We have had a long-standing relationship with them since our independence.
“Finland was one of the first countries to recognise Nigeria as a republic.
“They have been supportive in terms of fighting terrorism, democratisation, resettlement, and getting people back to their lives in the Lake Chad region.
“Of course, they are very strong trade partners to us, but we want to improve that trade relationship with lots of the initiatives introduced by the current administration,” Tuggar said.
He praised the President Bola Tinubu administration for the successes it has recorded especially in terms of the recent launch of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
According to him, the CNG project will help save money hitherto spent on the importation of refined petroleum products.
“We will use CNG that can be produced locally in volume and cheaper.
“These Nordic countries are the sort of partners we need because they are advanced when it comes to that.
“They have what you can refer to as cyclical economy, where nothing goes to waste.
“They are advanced when it comes to renewable technology.
“They have research institutions of higher learning, funding opportunities created by businesses, and the support of government.
“We are looking to partner with them through the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and they are interested also in partnering with us.
“We have the Technical Aid Corps, an agency that has been sending out Nigerian professionals, university lecturers, doctors, teachers, and engineers since 1987.
“This is something many people don’t know about and we are letting our partners know so that they know what Nigeria has been doing for Africa, the Caribbean countries, and the Pacific,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation from the Nordic countries, Tobias Billström, the Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister, commended their shared relationship with Africa, particularly Nigeria.
He said the relationship had to have been driven and guided by solidarity and long-term equal opportunities.
According to him, Nigeria and the Nordics are key partners in many areas, not only global and regional security, but also trade and investment, human rights promotion, and the promotion of democracy, as well as combating climate change.
“The diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the Nordic countries date back more than 60 years, as one of our largest trading partners in Africa.
“The recurring business forums, ‘Nordic-Nigeria’ Connect hosted in Lagos last year is an important avenue for boosting trade and investments between our countries.
“The role and importance of African countries in international politics is greater than ever.
“Nigeria is a prominent actor on the regional and global stages, and plays an important role in maintaining peace and furthering international cooperation.
“We highly appreciate the Nigerian presidency’s efforts at promoting stability and democracy within the ECOWAS sub-region, and its support in advancing cooperation between the United Nations and regional organisations,” Billström said.
He described the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2719 as the right step in the right direction, saying it has become important to tackle Africa’s under-representation in the UN Security Council.
He reiterated support for the extension and expansion of the council in both permanent and two-year terms in elected categories, saying that Nigeria the like the Nordic countries upholds international rules-based order, democracy, and human rights.
Some of the other members of the group included Ms Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Ms Thórdís Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.
Bjørg Sandkjær, the State Secretary for International Development, Norway and Eva Barløse, Under Secretary for Foreign Policy, Denmark were also part of the team. (NAN)
