India Tuesday welcomed the return of a non-resident Indian couple's two children who spent almost a year in foster care in Norway, a day after a Norwegian court ordered their release.

A Norwegian court Monday ruled that Abhigyan and Aishwarya, the two children who were taken away from their parents Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya by Norway's Child Welfare Service last May and kept in foster care, should be handed over to their uncle and allowed to return to India.

The court's ruling ended a bitter custody row that saw India stepping up diplomatic pressure to secure their release.

Welcoming their release, Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna told the media "They belong to India. They are Indian nationals. I am confident that the uncle will take care of them in the environment of their extended family in India."

"I thank the government of Norway and in particular the foreign minister for his constructive approach in resolving this humanitarian issue. I wish to congratulate the judicial system in Norway for taking such an enlightened decision. All is well that ends well," Krishna added.

Norway's Child Welfare Agency said it took the children into custody last May because the parents did not adequately look after the children. However, the parents insisted that "cultural differences" were behind the agency's decision.

The incident has received extensive media coverage in India and provoked public anger, with India saying that the children should be allowed to live in their own cultural and linguistic environment.