New direction to India-Iceland relations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Thorgerdur Katrin

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday congratulated Thorgerdur Katrin on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Iceland. Jaishankar said that he looks forward to further strengthening India-Iceland relations. “Congratulations to Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir on your appointment as Foreign Minister of Iceland,” he said in a post on Twitter. Look forward to working together to further strengthen India-Iceland relations.”

Congratulations Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir on your appointment as the Foreign Minister of Iceland.

Look forward to working together to further strengthen 🇮🇳 🇮🇸 ties. @thorgkatrin

—Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 22, 2024

India and Iceland, despite distance and disparity in population size, have approached each other to build friendship based on shared values ​​and mutuality of interests. According to the Indian Embassy in Iceland, a series of high-level visits since 2000 have provided new dynamism to bilateral relations, which has been sustained by the opening of resident missions (in Delhi in February 2006 and in Reykjavik in August 2008).

Support for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council

The embassy said Iceland was the first Nordic country to publicly support India's candidature for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Iceland was one of the countries that co-sponsored India's resolution at the United Nations to declare June 21 as “International Yoga Day”.

Icelanders show interest in Indian culture, especially yoga, films and food. Many Icelanders visit India for tourism, with Kerala and Pondicherry being their favourites. There is a bilateral cultural agreement. Film and food festivals, cultural events have been held in Reykjavik. A large number of Icelanders take advantage of free yoga classes by ICCR teachers at the embassy, ​​the University of Iceland and the International School of Iceland.

Bilateral trade figures have increased from US$ 26.51 million in 2013–14 to a low of US$ 13.30 million in 2017–18, before increasing again to US$ 39.49 million in 2018–19. The goods imported from Iceland are mainly cod-liver oil and other fish products, medicines, aluminum products, ferrosilicon. The exported goods from India are organic chemicals, apparel and accessories, textile yarn, grains and grain products, miscellaneous manufactured goods.

Negotiations are underway for a trade and economic partnership agreement between India and EFTA (the European Free Trade Association, of which Iceland is one of its four members).

(with agency input)