India and Iceland review bilateral ties, discuss future direction of cooperation

India and Iceland held their 3rd Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi on Monday to review different facets of their long-standing bilateral relationship which completed 50 years in 2022.

The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, while the Iceland delegation was headed by Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides comprehensively reviewed the status of relations in all fields, including political, trade and investments, India-EFTA-TEPA negotiations, fisheries, geothermal cooperation, capacity building, cultural relations and people-to-people contacts.

Additionally, detailed discussions were held on the future direction of cooperation, including in the multilateral fora particulary the UN.

The FOC provided an opportunity to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest including developments in the neighbourhoods of India and Iceland, EU, Ukraine conflict, the Arctic and gender issues, the MEA added.

The two sides agreed to hold the next round of foreign office consultations at a mutually convenient time in Reykjavik.

India and Iceland have enjoyed close and friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations in 1972. They have had regular exchanges at both political and official levels.

Over the years, India has seen Iceland as a major partner in the Arctic region, and the two countries have developed strong ties in various fields.