IRNA – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Norway on Monday to participate in the 15th Annual International Retreat of Mediators and Peace Process Actors in Oslo Forum.

Zarif was officially welcomed by Norwegian authorities and the Iranian ambassador to Oslo.

The two-day trip is made at the official invitation of the Norwegian Government.

He is also scheduled to hold talks with Norwegian officials over bilateral relations between Iran and Norway and on the latest developments of the region and the world.

The overarching theme of the 2017 retreat will be ‘peacemaking in a new era of geopolitics’.

According to Oslo Forum website, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry, Former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey D. Feltman and Foreign Ministers of Iran, Kenya, Indonesia, Sudan, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland and Croatia will attend the event.

The Oslo Forum was first held in 2003 and is now regarded as the leading international forum for, and network of, mediators and actors in peace processes. Alongside the annual global retreat held in Norway, the Oslo Forum Series also features regional retreats in Asia and Africa.

The informal and discreet nature of the gatherings – held behind closed doors – offers a unique opportunity to bring key experts and peacemakers together to engage in frank exchanges on often sensitive conflict issues. The retreats aim to improve international mediation practice by facilitating open exchanges and debates among mediators as well as providing informal networking opportunities and space for conflict parties to advance their negotiations. The Forum has contributed to improving understanding of peacemaking issues and mediation practice worldwide.