The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geir H. Haarde is touring Europe to discuss defense issues with foreign ministers of Iceland’s neighboring countries.
On Monday, Haarde spoke on the telephone to the Foreign Minister of Norway, Jónas Gahr Støre, to discuss the defenses of Iceland. Sources form Norway’s Foreign Ministry said that the Norwegians wanted to monitor the issue but said it was too early to make any comments. They said the status of Iceland’s defenses would be discussed at an informal gathering of the foreign ministers of the NATO nations in Sofia, Bulgaria on the 27 – 28 of April.
Yesterday, Haarde also spoke on the phone with the Foreign Minister of Denmark, Per Stig Møller, regarding defense issues.
Yesterday, at a meeting scheduled before the US announced it would remove its forces from Iceland, Haarde met with the Foreign Minister of France, Philippe Douste-Blazy, and they discussed global matters including the defenses of Iceland.
Douste-Blazy told Haarde that France was not indifferent to how Atlantic defenses were organized.
From France, Haarde will go to Moscow and meet the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov. According to RÚV the ministers will discuss international affairs and Haarde will brief his Russian counterpart on the state of the defenses of Iceland.
RÚV reports that it is not unlikely that Haarde will meet the Foreign Minister of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, next week. Haarde will also brief his German counterpart on the state of the defenses of Iceland.
