Norway proceeds with Vietnam free-trade pact amid detained Norwegian citizen
Norway will sign a new free-trade agreement with Vietnam on Sunday while a 52-year-old Norwegian, Thuan Duc Nguyen, remains detained in Vietnam on terrorism and forgery charges.
On Sunday, Norway plans to conclude a free-trade agreement with Vietnam, a deal that will eliminate tariffs on salmon and gradually reduce those on mackerel. State Secretary Astrid Bergmål will travel to Vietnam and raise the case of Thuan Duc Nguyen, a 52-year-old Norwegian detained on terrorism and forgery allegations after his disappearance in Cambodia. Nguyen is a member of VietTan, an organization labeled a terrorist group by Vietnamese authorities.
His relatives have filed kidnapping complaints against both Vietnam and Cambodia. The Norwegian embassy in Hanoi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are offering practical support, seeking access to Nguyen to ensure his wellbeing, and have emphasized the high priority of the matter amid public concern in Norway.
Why it matters
The story links a major trade deal with a diplomatic dispute over a detained Norwegian, affecting both economics and human-rights concerns.
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