Iceland - Foreign Relations
Iceland maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with practically all nations, but its ties with other Nordic states, with the United States, and with the other NATO member states are particularly close. Icelanders remain especially proud of the role Iceland played in hosting the historic 1986 summit in Reykjavík between President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev, which set the stage for the end of the Cold War.
Iceland has greatly increased its international profile since the early 1990s. From the mid-1990s until 2007, Iceland opened a number of missions overseas, including in all five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council in anticipation of its (ultimately unsuccessful) bid for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council in 2009-2010. The buildup also included missions to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Vienna. In 1998, it bolstered its delegation to NATO, assigning a permanent representative to the military committee for the first time ever. However, in the wake of the economic crisis in fall 2008, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced budget cuts resulting in the closure of four overseas missions. Iceland currently has 20 missions in 17 countries.
European Union (EU) membership was one of the top campaign issues in the 2009 parliamentary elections. In July 2009, the parliament voted in favor of applying for EU membership. The European Council accepted the application on July 27, 2009 and referred it to the European Commission to analyze Iceland's preparedness for negotiations. The Icelandic government has a target date of 2012 for joining the EU, which would be subject to a national referendum in Iceland.
Icelanders also have a strong emotional bond with the Baltic states, and Iceland prides itself on being the first country to have recognized these countries' claim for independence in 1991.
Iceland is a member of the following organizations: Arctic Council, Barents Euro-Arctic Council; Council of Baltic Sea States; Council of Europe; European Economic Area; European Free Trade Organization; EFTA Court; EFTA Surveillance Authority; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; International Criminal Police Organization; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; International Hydrographic Organization; International Maritime Satellite Organization; International Union for the Publication of Custom Tariffs; Nordic Council; North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission; North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization; the International Whaling Commission; and the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission.
It also is a member of the United Nations and most of its related organizations, specialized agencies, and commissions, including the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, World Tourism Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Industrial Development Organization; International Labor Organization, International Maritime Organization, International Telecommunications Union, UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Universal Postal Union, World Health Organization, and World Meteorological Organization; World Intellectual Property Organization; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; International Development Association; International Finance Corporation Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes; UN Conference on Disarmament; Economic Commission for Europe; UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Commission of Human Rights; UN Conference on Trade and Development.
The Platform of the Coalition Government formed by the Progressive Party and the Independence Party stated 23 May 2013 that the principal objective of Icelandic foreign policy was to safeguard the interests of the country and its people internationally. It was a basic aspect in dealings between nations that international law be respected and nations resolve their disagreements peacefully. International cooperation was important to address the threats which respect neither frontiers nor international law. Accession negotiations with the EU would be put on hold and an assessment made of the status of the negotiations and developments within the EU. The assessment would be submitted to the Althingi for discussion and presented to the nation. Accession negotiations would not be continued without a prior referendum.
The government would direct efforts toward making Iceland a leading force in the Arctic and an active participant in West Nordic co-operation. Preparations would begin to take advantage of opportunities created by the opening of Arctic sea routes and emphasis placed on having projects related to this located in Iceland. Iceland's policy in external trade would reflect the rapid changes occurring in global economies. Possibilities of increasing exports to regions where demand would grow strongly in coming years would be examined further and connections to the regions in question reinforced.
Emphasis would be placed on concluding additional free trade agreements, both bilaterally and through EFTA. Ways would be sought to fully utilise the possibilities offered by those free trade agreements to which Iceland was already a party. Emphasis would be placed on development co-operation and strong participation in multilateral co-operation in sustainable utilisation of natural resources, especially through multilateral organisations working in areas related to UN university training programmes in Iceland. Furthermore, emergency and humanitarian assistance would be offered to peoples in need.
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