Iceland became the first EU country to suspend its embassy in moscow
At the same time, Reykjavik announced that it was increasing its presence in Ukraine
Iceland suspended its embassy in russia on Tuesday, becoming the first European country to do so.
"The decision to suspend the activities of the Icelandic Embassy in moscow is not a severance of diplomatic relations. As soon as conditions permit, Iceland will reopen the embassy as a matter of priority," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The announcement of the upcoming closure of the diplomatic mission was made on 9 June. At the time, Reykjavik noted that commercial, cultural and political ties with russia were at a historic low, so it was inappropriate to keep the embassy in moscow.
"The current situation simply does not allow the small foreign service of Iceland to maintain an embassy in russia," Icelandic Foreign Minister Þórdís Kolbrún Gylfadóttir said at the time.
The next day, the russian authorities said that this decision "will inevitably provoke a reaction in return."
On Tuesday, Iceland also announced that it was increasing its presence in Ukraine. Diplomats will use the premises of the Lithuanian Embassy in the Ukrainian capital.
"Lithuania is one of Iceland's closest friends in the international arena. It is a great honor for us to receive an offer of cooperation. [...] We expect our relations with Ukraine to strengthen in the near future, and since we currently have no plans to open an embassy in Kyiv, this cooperation is an excellent starting point," the Icelandic Foreign Ministry said.
Background. In March of this year, the Icelandic Parliament recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
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