On 16 May 2023, in Reykjavík, Iceland, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir. Their meeting took place during the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe, with Latvia about to take over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Iceland.
The officials exchanged views on the tasks and priorities of the Latvian Presidency and on cooperation between the two countries in international organisations. “Iceland will always hold a special place in Latvia’s history as the first country to recognise the restoration of Latvia’s independence. Therefore, we welcome the opening of a Latvian Honorary Consulate in Iceland. I would also like to thank the Icelandic Presidency for holding the present summit. Iceland has demonstrated an effective leadership of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. We are aware that one of the main tasks of the Latvian Presidency will be to launch the implementation of the decisions of this fourth summit,” Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasized.
The Ministers also discussed cooperation in international organizations, including the Arctic Council, and current security policy issues.
Edgars Rinkēvičs invited Iceland’s Foreign Minister to the annual meeting of the Nordic and Baltic (NB8) Ministers of Foreign Affairs scheduled for the coming 6 and 7 September in Latvia.