Iceland’s ambassador says Spain knows country for salted fish

Iceland’s ambassador to Spain, Kristján Andri Stefánsson, says his experience as an exchange student in Seville more than 40 years ago is still proving valuable. He is the first Icelandic ambassador to Spain to be based there, mbl.is reported.

Stefánsson presented his credentials to King Felipe VI of Spain on September 12 last year. The Icelandic embassy formally began operating from its own premises on December 1 at Calle del Marqués de la Ensenada in Madrid’s Centro district, known as the Justice district because Spain’s Supreme Court is next door.

Stefánsson lives close to the embassy in Madrid’s Salamanca district with his husband, Davíð Samúelsson, an Icelandic teacher who works remotely and an artist. Their richly decorated ambassadorial residence overlooks the district and parts of the Spanish capital, which together with its surrounding area is home to nearly seven million people. Madrid is also one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities.

The embassy team includes Úlfhildur Guðmundsdóttir, Astrid Helgadóttir, Bryndís Samúelsdóttir and Alda Sólrún Ólafsson Álvarez. Ólafsson Álvarez continues her family’s presence in Madrid as the daughter of Kristinn R. Ólafsson, a well-known long-serving correspondent for Iceland’s national broadcaster.

During a visit on Thursday, mbl.is journalists were shown the embassy’s bright and tidy offices. A framed portrait of Jón Sigurðsson, an Icelandic independence leader, hangs on one wall. Security measures include interlocking doors designed so that one cannot open unless the other is firmly closed.

Stefánsson previously served as ambassador in Paris, where he was also responsible for Spain, and in Brussels before that. He has therefore presented his credentials to the same king twice.

In the ambassadorial residence, a large painting of a cod by Sigrún Eldjárn hangs above the room where the interview took place. The cod is described as a distinctive symbol of relations between Iceland and Spain. Samúelsson’s studio is also in the residence, where he teaches Icelandic remotely and displays his own work on the walls.

“During my exchange year, I gained a good command of Spanish, which I still benefit from today,” Stefánsson said. He added that it was particularly enjoyable to have the opportunity to use the language again in his current role.