Words from the Ambassador

article_01_Ambasador

The Embassy warmly welcomes the establishment of the Philippines Norway Business Council!
We pay particular credit to the many business representatives that on a volunteer basis and in such a positive way have taken on the task to develop, organize and formally establish the council.

“Together we are stronger” was a statement made at the initial gathering of Norwegian and Norwegian related companies. This is an excellent starting point for the new council. As is the case for most such chambers or business councils, members may be competitors, and sometimes even have conflicting interests, but that does not prevent them all for accomplishing a lot by being a member of a bigger unit, and work as a team on common challenges. That is, as I see it, certainly the case also for the Norwegian companies in the Philippines.

An overall objective for PNBC will be to promote such common interests, but let me add that the council also may be an important partner for new Norwegian companies. Any newcomer will need assistance in this interesting, but also challenging market, and then have a reference point as PNBC will be crucial. In this there are members that have been established for a long time, have extensive experience, and which not least have shown that the Philippines is commercially interesting, – a market to look into.

As such the establishment of PNBC gives even further importance. The Embassy’s mandate is to take care of/promote existing Norwegian interests in this country, but also to further expand the bilateral relations between Norway and the Philippines. Such relations are more and more measured through the economic /commercial cooperation. In some sectors we are already strong in this market, but in general both bilateral trade and commercial cooperation is too limited. Let us jointly work to improve this!

PNBC will be a most important partner for the Embassy, foremost in promoting Norwegian commercial interest in this country, but also wider, to make Norway and what we stand for/have to offer better known to the Filipinos. I look forward to a most fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation in the years ahead.
Knut Solem
Ambassador