Iceland announces 'not easy decision' with Russia

On June 9, Iceland said it would close its embassy in Moscow, but affirmed that it would not sever relations with Russia.

Iceland's Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir said the country will close its embassy in Moscow, Russia. (Source: Golli/Iceland Review)

“This was not an easy decision, as Iceland has had a good relationship with Russia since independence in 1944,” said a statement from Icelandic Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir.

However, the current situation does not allow Icelandic diplomacy to continue the activities of the embassy in Russia. Hopefully, one day the situation will get better and allow us to resume normal relations with Russia.”

Also in this statement, the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the termination of the activities of this diplomatic agency "does not mean the severance of diplomatic relations". The country also asked Russia to downgrade the diplomatic presence of its embassy in the capital Reykjavik.

The Embassy in Moscow is one of Iceland's 18 embassies abroad.

Soon after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia. Iceland supported the European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on its neighbor.

For its part, Russia has listed Iceland among “unfriendly countries.”

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/iceland-thong-bao-quyet-dinh-khong-de-dang-voi-nga-230462.html