Iceland suspends its embassy in Russia

Icelandic Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir has decided to suspend the country's embassy in Moscow from August 1 due to the "current situation."

This is stated in a statement by the Icelandic Foreign Ministry.

On Friday, the ministry informed the Russian ambassador of the decision to suspend the embassy and also asked Moscow to limit the activities of its embassy in Reykjavik and reduce the level of diplomatic representation.

"This is not an easy decision, as Iceland has had rich relations with the people of Russia since gaining independence in 1944. However, the current situation simply does not allow Iceland's small foreign ministry to have an embassy in Russia," explained Gylfadottir.

"I hope that someday the conditions will allow us to have normal and fruitful relations with Russia, but it depends on the decisions made by the Kremlin," she added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked his Icelandic counterpart for the decision. "Russia must see that barbarism leads to complete isolation. I urge other states to follow Iceland's example," he wrote on Twitter.

Iceland has only eighteen foreign embassies, the location of which is chosen "according to the level of economic, political and cultural ties or development cooperation," the country's Foreign Ministry explains.

"Currently, commercial, cultural, or political relations with Russia are at their lowest level. Thus, the continuation of the activities of the Icelandic Embassy in Moscow is no longer justified," the statement said.

Author - Olena Madiak, 09/06/2023