Nine Icelandic MPs visit Japan for talks on ties and security

Nine members of Iceland’s parliament are visiting Japan for talks on bilateral ties and security issues, Morgunblaðið reports. The visit began on Monday and is scheduled to end on Friday.

The visit was arranged at the invitation of Japan’s parliament to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between Iceland and Japan. The delegation is discussing cooperation on geothermal energy, free trade, Arctic issues and gender equality, as well as international and security matters in East Asia.

In Tokyo, the committee has met the president of Japan’s parliament, the parliamentary friendship group for Iceland and the parliament’s foreign affairs committee. It is also due to meet Japan’s deputy defence minister.

The delegation will travel to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and meet a survivor of the atomic bombing of the city. It is also scheduled to meet Hiroshima’s mayor.

The visit has been planned since early this year, Alþingi office manager Sverrir Jónsson said. The Japanese hosts are paying for accommodation, transport and subsistence within Japan. Alþingi is covering the flights and daily allowances. Under the parliament office’s travel rules, officials receive 33 per cent of the full daily allowance when a host pays for accommodation and subsistence. The estimated cost of the trip is about 5 million Icelandic krónur.

The parliamentarians taking part are Dagbjört Hákonardóttir, Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir, Grímur Grímsson, Hildur Sverrisdóttir, Sigmar Guðmundsson, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Sigurður Helgi Pálmason and Víðir Reynisson. Alþingi staff members Eggert Ólafsson and Stígur Stefánsson are also travelling with the delegation.