On 25-26 August 2022, Reykjavik in Iceland is hosting events dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Baltic States and Iceland, with participation of the Baltic States’ Presidents and Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
On 26 August, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, together with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and Lithuania, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir. Looking back at historic events, Edgars Rinkēvičs highlighted Iceland’s significance in the history of Latvia and the Baltic States. “Iceland will always have special role in Latvia’s history, being the first country to recognise Latvia’s restored independence in 1991,” the Foreign Minister said.
During the meeting, the Ministers exchanged views on security policy matters and changes in the security environment caused by Russia’s unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine. Edgars Rinkēvičs spoke highly of Iceland’s input to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle groups in the Baltic States, which is a contribution to NATO’s deterrence and defence efforts across the Baltic Sea region. The Ministers welcomed the commitment of Finland and Sweden to joining the Alliance, which will considerably reinforce security in the Baltic Sea region, the north of NATO and Europe as a whole.
In a discussion on the need to continue providing all kinds of support for Ukraine, the Ministers were unanimous about achieving that Russia be held fully accountable in legal and financial terms for its aggression and war crimes in Ukraine.
The Ministers highly estimated regional cooperation and the ways to addressing climate-related and ecological issues, as well as promoting energy independence.
During the visit, the Foreign Ministers of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Iceland signed a joint declaration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations.