A small nation like Iceland, with less than 400,000 inhabitants, must maintain good relations with the rest of the world. But of course. It is crucial to enable free trade, cultural exchange, the unrestricted flow of tourists, and to safeguard the national security of a military-free nation during uncertain times. To fulfil these duties, the Foreign Service operates twenty embassies, as well as offices within institutions Iceland belongs to, such as NATO in Brussels and the United Nations in New York. Additionally, we maintain connections with friendly and related nations, such as the Faroe Islands and Greenland—territories under Danish rule—with which we have enjoyed exceptionally strong and effective cooperation from the beginning, given their proximity as our nearest neighbours.
Of the twenty embassies, Iceland operates three in Africa: in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. These embassies are primarily focused on sharing knowledge and resources to improve the welfare of the continent’s inhabitants. In Asia, Iceland has three embassies in its main trading partner countries: India, China, and Japan. In the Americas, there are two embassies, in Canada and the United States, which also handle Iceland’s interests in Latin America.
In Europe, there are twelve embassies. The first was opened in Denmark in 1920. Naturally, embassies are also present in the other Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Additional embassies are located in Austria, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Poland, Russia (currently temporarily closed), Switzerland, and Germany. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, recently approved the opening of a new embassy in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Spain is the country most visited year-round by Icelanders and is also the largest buyer of bacalao (salted codfish), which was once Iceland’s primary export commodity.
The World 09/12/2024: A7R III, RX1R II + Hbl – FE 1.4/24mm GM, 2.0/35mm Z, FE 1.8/14mm GM, FE 1.4/85mm GM… 110Z – Images & text: Páll Stefánsson
