Cultural Diplomacy Central to Norway's Engagement With India

The ties between India and Norway go beyond diplomacy, finding expression in cultural collaborations, sustainability initiatives, and shared global goals.

- MURTAZA ALI KHAN

In an exclusive conversation with The Sunday Guardian, Ambassador May-Elin Stener, Norway's envoy to India, provides insights into the evolving Indian-Norwegian relationship, emphasizing the role of soft diplomacy in strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation.

Cultural diplomacy remains central to Norway's engagement with India. Norway has long supported the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) and Jaipur BookMark, playing a crucial role in literary discourse. "We have always supported JLF, and it remains an important part of our cultural relationship," Ambassador Stener affirms.

At JLF 2025, Norway championed small languages and literary translation. Stener elaborates, "We have supported a project focused on translating small Himalayan languages into English, promoting linguistic diversity and the rights of indigenous speakers. Freedom of speech and expression remain central to our engagement."

The festival over the years has featured several Norwegian literary heavyweights, including Nobel laureate Jon Fosse, whose works have been translated into several Indian languages. "It was a proud moment when Jon Fosse received the Nobel Prize for Literature, back in 2023. The fact that his works were already available in Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam shows the depth of our literary connection," she shares.