She took part in bilateral meetings and also interacted with the Indian diaspora

Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi has completed a productive visit to Norway, Iceland, and Malta. The visit, between August 16-23, saw extensive discussions on bilateral issues as well regional and global issues of mutual interest.

During her visit to Norway from August 16–18, MoS Lekhi called on Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt. She met with State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Erling Rimestad and Secretary General Tore Hattrem.

During these meetings, cooperation in trade & investment, blue economy, energy, the Arctic region, cultural and people to people ties were discussed. Regional and global issues of mutual interest were also discussed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.

She also took part in a panel discussion on India-Norway Green Energy Cooperation on August 17 along with Norway's Minister of Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide. She highlighted the significant progress made by India in achieving climate action targets, during this interaction.

During her visit to Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, MoS Lekhi spoke with Sikh community members. At a subsequent community function, she spoke with over 150 well-known members of the lively Indian Diaspora. MoS also took part in a yoga class and planted a tree in the storied Botanical Gardens.

The MoS External Affairs visited Iceland on August 19 and 20. While there, MoS met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Thordis Kolbrun Gylfadottir and discussed bilateral ties as well as local and international concerns.

According to the MEA, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in fisheries, geothermal energy, innovation, trade & investment, tourism, culture and increasing people-to-people exchanges.

Additionally, MoS Lekhi met with Iceland's Minister of Culture and Business Affairs Lilja Alfredsdóttir, to explore enhancing collaboration in the fields of yoga, movies, music, performing arts, and tourism. She also called on Iceland's Speaker of the Parliament Birgir Armannsson and discussed parliamentary cooperation between the two nations.

While in Iceland, MoS Lekhi witnessed the signing of an MoU between Sankara Nethralaya and RetinaRisk, a local HealthTech startup, in the area of diabetic eye screening. She also spoke on "India's Role in a Changing World-India@75" at the University of Iceland.

During her visit to Malta on August 21-23, MoS Lekhi called on President George Vella. She also met with Owen Bonnici, Minister for National Heritage, Arts, and Local Government; Clayton Bartolo, Minister of Tourism; and Ian Borg, Foreign Minister of Malta.

Both sides had detailed discussions on bilateral relations, especially trade & investment, maritime cooperation, solar energy, films, tourism and culture, the MEA said.

The 112 Indian firms operating in Malta were recognised by the Maltese side for their contributions, particularly to the pharmaceutical and ICT industries. Future collaboration opportunities have been identified in the fintech and health industries.

The two sides also discussed topics of common interest in the region and throughout the world.

Additionally, MoS Lekhi spoke with the director and board members of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, which has an agreement in place with the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, and they discussed ways to improve collaboration between the two nations' diplomatic institutions.

At the Foreign Minister's invitation, she attended the Dingli Festival and a community gathering where she spoke with people from the Indian Diaspora. In addition, she planted a tree sapling in Malta's Buskett Woodlands and took part in a yoga programme.