Ambassador Presents Credentials to H.E. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson the President of Iceland
On the 19th September, I had the great honour to present my letters of credence from President Higgins to H.E. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson the President of Iceland, thereby officially becoming Ireland’s (non-resident) Ambassador to Iceland.
Iceland and Ireland are similar in so many ways, just one letter of the alphabet separating us. The historical links between our countries stretch back all the way to the Viking sagas and the foundation of Iceland itself. Traces of Ireland’s historical links reflected in place names like Vestmannaeyjar (the Westmen Islands) and Kjaransvík (Ciarán’s Bay). In my conversation with H.E. President Jóhannesson the warmth of our bilateral relationship was clear and the opportunities to build upon this during my term as Ambassador to Iceland. In addition to discussing our historical links, we also had a chance to discuss the challenges to and importance of preservation of smaller languages in a globalised world.
As two small island nations, Ireland and Iceland are natural partners to tackle shared global challenges. We discussed the importance of continuing to work together to tackle issues such as climate change, the protection of human rights, promotion of gender equality and assistance to those in need. Through Ireland’s Strategy for the Nordic Region we are committed to strengthening our political, cultural, economic and people-to-people ties with Iceland even further.
Our connections are not just historical. In November last year, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan attended the opening of FARICE’s IRIS cable from Thorlakshofn to Galway, the first subsea communications cable connecting our two countries. Iceland and Ireland are also more connected than ever with two airlines operating direct flights between Dublin and Reykjavík. Our economic relationship with Iceland goes from strength to strength, with recent figures putting our annual trade at €215 million and Iceland was one of the strongest growing markets for Irish exports within the Nordic region, increasing 39% year on year. With the support of Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia as well as our distinguished Honorary Consul in Reykjavík, Mr Jens Thordarson, I look forward to developing our business links further.
Just as the Irish from the sagas left their mark on Iceland, I particularly look forward to meeting many of the Irish who currently call Iceland home and are making their mark on business, culture and society. I also look forward to meeting many of the Icelandic friends of Ireland and discussing how we can mutually support each other in the coming years.
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Le gach dea-mhéin,
Kærar kveðjur,
Claire Buckley
Ambassador