The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the Russian embassy in Iceland to a meeting this morning. Serious objections to Russia's conduct were raised at the meeting, says Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who spoke to RÚV's lunchtime news today.
She says Iceland's solidarity with Germany was reiterated in light of the drone incident in Leipzig, Germany, last month. The Russian representative received the message. Iceland will continue to support Ukraine and protest against Russia's brutal conduct of the war.
German authorities accused Russia on Tuesday of flying a drone carrying explosives into Leipzig Airport. That Russian attempted drone attack amounts to terrorism, according to Þorgerður, speaking yesterday, after attending a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Ireland.
It was said at the meeting that these threats should simply be called what they are, which is terrorism. That is how they are viewed in Europe. There was unequivocal solidarity from all the European countries, including those outside the European Union, as well as Canada, both with Germany and Ukraine.
The informal meeting is held twice a year. As well as the foreign ministers of European Union member states, it is attended by the foreign ministers of Canada, the United Kingdom and the EFTA countries Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, also attended.
Þorgerður says Ukraine and European countries' solidarity with Ukraine were at the top of the agenda. Russia's attempted drone attack in Leipzig was also discussed extensively. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the German authorities of planting evidence at the scene in order to blame Russia.
There is simply no substance to that. These Russian allegations have been thoroughly examined. Everything points to this being part of the hybrid threats coming from them. They are at the forefront of using these methods today.
Þorgerður says threats to international security can be found in many places.
I don't think we can afford to be naïve about this. Today's [Wednesday's] meeting really underlines what Western democracies need to prepare for over the coming months. The solidarity of the countries that attended the meeting is therefore extremely important, and it is very valuable to be part of those connections.
The Russian embassy is still operating in Iceland, although its ambassador left the country and the number of embassy staff was reduced from 20 to eight in 2023. Iceland's then foreign minister, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, closed the Icelandic embassy in Moscow and required Russia to minimise the activities of its embassy in Iceland.
