Foreign minister criticised for neglecting ties with US

Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir has neglected Iceland’s relationship with the United States by focusing too heavily on European affairs, according to Morgunblaðið journalist Andrés Magnússon, mbl.is reported. He said it would be unwise to burn bridges across the Atlantic, even if the minister dislikes the current US president.

The comments came during a discussion between Magnússon and fellow Morgunblaðið journalist Andrea Sigurðardóttir on a special episode of Spursmál, which examined the foreign minister’s position following her defeat in a referendum on continuing Iceland’s membership talks with the European Union.

In the referendum, 52.8 percent voted against continuing the talks, while 47.2 percent voted in favour.

Sigurðardóttir questioned whether the result had placed Þorgerður Katrín in a difficult position in Europe, given her strong emphasis on European affairs. She said discussion had already emerged abroad about whether the European Union should take a tougher line towards European Economic Area countries following the result. She stressed, however, that these were not statements by EU leaders but discussion seen, among other places, on social media.

Sigurðardóttir suggested that the minister’s focus on Protocol 35 of the EEA Agreement could be viewed in that context.

“I think that is exactly why she is putting Protocol 35 on the table now, because I think she believes it could somehow save her in this situation if she manages to get it through,” Sigurðardóttir said.

Asked whether it could serve as a form of consolation prize, she said that might be the thinking, by securing the direct legal effects at the centre of the issue.

Magnússon said political considerations could well be behind the minister’s emphasis on Protocol 35, but that her personality might also play a role.

“She is a fighter by nature. She wants to make her presence felt and always defends herself,” he said.

Magnússon said Þorgerður Katrín’s European counterparts would likely sympathise with her over the referendum result, and that it was uncertain whether the defeat would have a lasting effect on relations with the European Union.

“Of course, we need to maintain good relations with the European Union and the other EEA countries,” he said.

He was more critical of Iceland’s relations with the United States, however, arguing that the foreign minister had devoted too little attention to them.

“The thing you mentioned about the United States, she has neglected that very much because of these European issues,” Magnússon said.

The discussion also raised the question of whether the United States had been used as a kind of scarecrow in the debate on Europe, with the country portrayed as a dangerous alternative.