The Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs has decided to suspend operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow from August 1st: Iceland has also requested that Russia limit the operations of its Embassy in Reykjavík, and that the level of diplomatic representation be lowered. “This is not an easy decision as Iceland has enjoyed rich relations with the people of Russia since our independence in 1944. However, the current situation simply does not make it viable for the small foreign service of Iceland to operate an embassy in Russia. I hope that conditions will someday allow for us to have normal and fruitful relations with Russia, but that depends on decisions taken by the Kremlin,” so Foreign Minister Gylfadóttir. As Iceland prioritizes the location of its embassies in foreign capitals according to the extent of economic, political and cultural ties, at the moment maintaining operations of the embassy of Iceland in Moscow is no longer justifiable: commercial, cultural or political relations with Russia are at an all-time low. Iceland has been operating an embassy in Moscow since 1944 (except between 1951-1953, when there was no trade between the countries) and the decision does not constitute a severance of diplomatic relations: as soon as conditions permit, Iceland will prioritize the resumption of operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow.
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