The opening ceremony was attended by Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, who in her address stressed that Poland is one of Iceland’s closest partners and a key state in Europe. “I am so glad that we are opening our embassy in Warsaw. This is a historic step that will undoubtedly strengthen the bond between the two nations and increase our cooperation even further,” stated Minister Gylfadóttir. The Icelandic foreign minister indicated that security and defence, as well as trade and energy are particularly important areas of bilateral cooperation. She also referred to the presence of Polish Discalced Carmelite nuns in Iceland and their contribution to charitable causes. The Icelandic minister emphasised the need for continued involvement of our countries in helping the fighting Ukraine and expressed her appreciation for Poland’s efforts in this regard. She highlighted the values that our two countries share.

During the ceremony, the Polish minister of foreign affairs was represented by Secretary of State Arkadiusz Mularczyk, who underlined the excellent state of bilateral relations, pointing out the role of the Polish community: “The presence of a large Polish community in Iceland is an important factor in our relations, which drives our political cooperation and opens up new opportunities for economic and cultural cooperation,” he stated. The deputy foreign minister expressed his hope that the functioning of embassies in the two countries will foster continued dynamic political dialogue and further enhancement of cooperation. “I am convinced that thanks to the opening of Iceland’s embassy in Poland we will learn much more about our countries and nations and that we will discover new areas of bilateral, regional, and global cooperation,” said Deputy Minister Mularczyk. 

The highlight of the ceremony was a violin recital by the Frach brothers, young artists of Polish descent who were born in Iceland. 

The opening of an Icelandic embassy in Poland was one of recommendations included in a report on Polish-Icelandic relations, commissioned by the Icelandic MFA in 2021. It is the 27th embassy of Iceland. It is also accredited to Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria.

 

Łukasz Jasina 
MFA Spokesperson

 

Photo: Bartosz Peterman / MFA