Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır visited Oslo

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır paid an official visit to Oslo on 4-6 November 2014.

During his visit, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır met with Vidar Helgesen, Norwegian Minister for European Economic Area (EEA) and EU Affairs and attended the working luncheon given in his honour by Minister Helgesen. The two Ministers held a joint press conference after the luncheon.

Together with Minister Helgesen, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır attended a round table meeting organized by the “Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).” In his speech at the meeting, Minister Bozkır said “Despite not being a member, Norway is considerably integrated into the EU structures” and added “Norway’s support to Türkiye’s EU accession process is of utmost importance for us.”

Following the meeting at NUPI, the two Ministers visited the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs, where Minister Bozkır made a speech and replied the questions of Turkish nationals living in Oslo. The Ministers also visited the Turkish enterprises in Oslo and attended the dinner given in their honour by the Norwegian-Turkish Employers Association and the Norwegian-Turkish Trade Association.

Minister Bozkır also met with Børge Brende, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Jacob Hiim, Norwegian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Anniken Huitfeldt, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence as well as the Committee members, and with Svein Roald Hansen, the Chair of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) and EEA Parliamentary Committee and the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament along with the Committee members.

During his visit to Oslo, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır exchanged views with his Norwegian counterparts particularly on Türkiye-EU relations and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP) as well as bilateral relations between Türkiye and Norway.