Few nations are as dependent on interactions with other countries as Icelanders. Imports, exports, and tourism form the backbone that sustains a good standard of living in the country. The key to successful and prosperous relations with other countries is the foreign service, which currently operates twenty embassies around the world, as well as three consulates: in Tórshavn (Faroe Islands), Nuuk (Greenland), and Winnipeg (Canada). In addition, Iceland has permanent missions to United Nations institutions and NATO in Brussels, Geneva, New York, Paris, Rome, and Vienna. Plans are underway to soon open Iceland’s twenty-first embassy in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Iceland also maintains embassies in three African countries: Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Malawi. In the Americas, there are embassies in the United States and Canada, and in Asia, embassies can be found in India, China, and Japan. The embassies in Europe are located in Vienna, Brussels, London, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Paris, Warsaw, Geneva, Stockholm, and Berlin. Iceland’s embassy in Moscow is temporarily closed due to the war in Ukraine. When the Republic of Iceland was founded eighty years ago, there were three embassies: one in Copenhagen, and later in Washington D.C. and Moscow. Currently, Iceland maintains diplomatic relations with 169 of the 195 independent countries in the world.
Útlönd 21/06/2024 : CW503, SWC 905
Photos and text : Páll Stefánsson
