Bárður and Jenis clash over planned Tel Aviv mission closure

The Faroe Islands’ government plans to close its missions in Tel Aviv and Moscow, a move that has drawn sharp disagreement between Foreign Affairs Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen and former minister Jenis av Rana, KVF reports.

The proposal is part of the draft 2027 budget. The Foreign Affairs and Fisheries Ministry says the foreign service will be reorganised to concentrate more resources and expertise on the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

“We must strengthen our position where we truly want to make our presence felt,” Bárður said. The mission in London will remain open, with the Faroe Islands’ envoy to the EU also serving as envoy to the United Kingdom.

Jenis, who was foreign affairs minister when the Tel Aviv mission opened, said it remained important. He pointed to exports to Israel rising from a few hundred thousand krónur to several million. Their value was about 52 million krónur in 2025.

He said he could not understand the plan to close the mission in Israel.