The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, and the Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, shared very similar views today on global issues such as the Russian aggression against Ukraine; the situation in the Middle East and Gaza; the multilateralism (Iceland, together with Spain, is a member of the Human Rights Council between 2025 and 2027); and also on gender and development policies.
Albares, who received the Icelandic minister at the Palacio de Viana, confirmed the great affinity with Iceland on the international agenda, with the Government of Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir in charge since December 2024. Both countries are strong advocates and promoters of feminist foreign policy, gender equality, human rights and mutilateralism.
All this translates into a close bilateral relationship that is reflected in a growing exchange of diplomatic relations; the forthcoming opening of an Icelandic embassy in Madrid; a growing penetration of the Spanish language in Iceland, being the most studied foreign language, only behind English and Danish; and the fact that Spain is already one of the favorite tourist destinations for Icelanders, who enjoy direct air connections with eight Spanish cities to which 100,000 Icelandic tourists travel, 25% of its population.
EU accession
Albares very much welcomed Iceland's efforts to join the EU and the new Government's proposal for a referendum on the resumption of accession negotiations, at a time when Europeans need to be more united than ever.
Albares was thanked by the Icelandic minister for the presence of Spanish frigates in NATO's permanent fleet, while the Spanish minister acknowledged the efforts of Iceland, which, together with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, agreed in Tallinn to spend 12 billion euros over 2025 to support Ukraine.
On the other hand, the minister also highlighted Iceland's engagement in the Middle East by recognising the State of Palestine in 2011, and welcomed the resumption of contributions to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, in March 2024.
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