Pakistan Norway counter-terrorism cooperation has been given fresh momentum following talks in Islamabad between Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Pakistan’s interior ministry confirmed on Friday that the two countries had agreed to strengthen joint efforts against terrorism as well as measures to curb illegal immigration to Europe.
Eide arrived in Islamabad on Thursday, the first visit by a Norwegian foreign minister to Pakistan in a decade. He held delegation-level talks with his counterpart, Ishaq Dar, covering the full range of bilateral relations, before meeting separately with Naqvi to discuss regional and international developments alongside counter-terrorism and immigration issues.
What Was Discussed in the Pakistan Norway Counter-Terrorism Talks
During the meeting with Eide, Naqvi raised concerns about the security situation in Afghanistan and the activities of banned organisations operating from Afghan soil. He said Afghan territory continued to be used for terrorism directed at Pakistan, describing his country as a barrier standing between the world and terrorism, and called for collective international effort to eliminate the threat entirely.
His remarks come against the backdrop of a sustained rise in militancy across Pakistan’s western regions bordering Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of allowing armed groups to use Afghan soil to plan and launch cross-border attacks, an allegation the Afghan Taliban administration has consistently denied.
Progress on Illegal Immigration to Europe
Alongside counter-terrorism, the two ministers discussed measures to prevent illegal immigration, police training and mutual legal assistance between the two countries. Naqvi told Eide that Pakistan’s enforcement measures had contributed to a 47 percent reduction in illegal immigration to Europe, adding that expanding legal migration channels remained essential to tackling the problem effectively.
Eide, for his part, praised the contribution of the Pakistani diaspora in Norway, noting its active role in fields including politics and healthcare. Naqvi expressed hope that the visit would mark a milestone in advancing bilateral ties between Islamabad and Oslo.
Wider Bilateral Engagement During the Visit
Eide’s visit extended beyond the interior ministry talks. On Thursday, he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss cooperation in education, skilled labour, climate resilience and technology, according to the prime minister’s office. He also held separate discussions with Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, where both sides underscored the importance of cooperation on shared security challenges and agreed to expand engagement in defence and security matters, according to Pakistan’s military.
Taken together, the series of meetings suggests that Pakistan Norway counter-terrorism cooperation is now being pursued alongside a broader effort to deepen ties across defence, education, migration and economic sectors, marking one of the most substantive rounds of engagement between the two countries in recent years.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, August 15th, 2026
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