Norway today said it was committed to a close cooperation with India to combat and mitigate climate change in the Arctic as also globally.
It said understanding climate change in the Arctic will help understand changes also in India.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, on an official visit to Norway, had yesterday visited the energy-rich Arctic and is the first cabinet minister from a new observer country to visit the Arctic since the club of observers was expanded last month.
"The Arctic is the Norwegian government's number one foreign policy priority. Our goal is to ensure peaceful, sustainable and prosperous development in this region," the country's Embassy today quoted its Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide as saying.
Eide said he was happy that Khurshid had the chance to visit "so soon after India became a permanent observer to the Arctic Council".
On the Svalbard islands, the two foreign ministers will visit Ny Alesund, a research station situated at the world's northernmost permanent settlement.
