Rubio wants stronger NATO presence in Arctic and North Atlantic

Iceland’s Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said Marco Rubio wants to strengthen ties between Iceland and the United States and encourage a greater NATO presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, mbl.is reported after the two met on Tuesday.

Gunnarsdóttir said Rubio placed strong emphasis on security, defence and surveillance in the region, which she said is important to Iceland. US forces already maintain a presence in Iceland, and NATO conducts air policing there for several weeks each year.

The two discussed the 1951 defence agreement between Iceland and the United States, but no changes or updates were raised. Gunnarsdóttir said they had reaffirmed the agreement’s importance and would continue working on defence issues under its terms.

Economic and trade issues also featured in the meetings. Gunnarsdóttir pointed to potential investment opportunities for Icelandic companies in the United States and US businesses in Iceland, including in tunnels, bridges, geothermal energy and pharmaceuticals. No specific US companies were named.

A free trade agreement was not discussed, and the two did not raise US tariffs. Gunnarsdóttir said she would meet the US trade representative the following week and was “very optimistic” after the meetings.

Asked about an image posted by US President Donald Trump last month that showed Iceland and other countries in the colours of the US flag, Gunnarsdóttir said she had summoned US Ambassador to Iceland Billy Long and received clear answers. “We do not want anyone playing with Iceland’s sovereignty, whoever it is,” she said.

Her speech to the UN General Assembly, in which she addressed Israel’s prime minister, was not specifically discussed. Nor was the outcome of the referendum on the European Union. Gunnarsdóttir said the focus was on strengthening cooperation between Iceland and the United States and the NATO alliance.