Iceland will suspend the work of its embassy in Russia

Iceland will suspend the work of its embassy in Moscow from August 1 due to "inconsistency with priorities." At the same time, the authoritiescountries emphasizedthat this decision does not mean the end of political relations between the countries

Iceland from August 1 will lower the level of diplomatic representation and suspend the activities of its embassy in Moscow, the Icelandic Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The decision to terminate the activities of the embassy was made due to the fact that the activities of the embassy in Moscow in the current conditions do not correspond to the priorities of the Icelandic foreign ministry,” the ministry stressed.

The Russian ambassador to the country was summoned to the Icelandic Foreign Ministry and informed of the decision of the authorities. Russia is also instructed to minimize the activities of its embassy in Iceland in accordance with this decision.

The Icelandic Foreign Ministry stressed that in total the country has eighteen embassies in the capitals of foreign countries, especially in countries where economic, political and cultural ties are strong. However, since relations with Russia have been “reduced to a minimum”, the preconditions for the embassy in Moscow have changed.

“The decision to terminate the activities of the embassy does not mean the termination of political relations between the countries. As soon as conditions allow, the focus will be on reopening the Icelandic embassy in Moscow,” the ministry concluded.

Iceland has had an embassy in Moscow since 1944, with the exception of 1951-1953. The diplomatic mission is located in a mansion built in 1815 at Khlebny Lane, 28, which in 1935-1941 was the residence of the German military attache Ernst Köstring.

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After the start of the Russian special operation, Ukraine and Micronesia announced a break in diplomatic relations with Moscow , and many Western countries, including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, lowered their level. In addition, since the beginning of 2022, foreign states have announced the expulsion of more than 640 Russian diplomatic staff of various ranks. Moscow expelled 328 diplomats during the same period.

The Russian ambassador to Reykjavik, Mikhail Noskov, last year reported an attempted attack on the building of the Russian embassy. “We constantly receive both insults and threats to the embassy’s e-mail, they call on the phone and splash online saliva,” the diplomat noted.