Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to ASEAN Presents Credentials to the Secretary-General of ASEAN

JAKARTA, 16 December 2025 - Ambassador Mariann Ruud Hagen today presented her letter of credence to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, officially assuming her post as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to ASEAN.

Secretary-General Dr. Kao congratulated Ambassador Hagen on her appointment and reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat's commitment to working closely with her and the Royal Norwegian Embassy to further strengthen ASEAN-Norway relations, building on the momentum of the tenth anniversary of the ASEAN-Norway Sectoral Dialogue Partnership this year.

He also welcomed Norway's continued support for ASEAN Community-building through the Norway-ASEAN Regional Initiatives Programme (NARIP), which has facilitated cooperation across a broad range of areas, and encouraged Norway to explore opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, sustainable development and business-to-business linkages.

Ambassador Hagen acknowledged ASEAN's key role in promoting regional peace and stability, and expressed Norway's commitment to supporting ASEAN Centrality. She also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation through the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation (JDC) between ASEAN and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), noting its potential to deepen economic integration and partnership.

Norway appointed its first dedicated Ambassador to ASEAN in 2017. Ambassador Hagen is the third to hold the position, succeeding Ambassador Kjell Tormod Pettersen, who concluded his tenure in July 2025.