Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.02.2000, Page 3

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Millennium Edition • Friday 4 February 2000 • 3
Our intention is to open
an embassy in 2001
—says Halldór Asgrímsson
Groundwork laid for
trade growth
Interview with
Halldór
Ásgrímsson
Minister of
Foreign Affairs
and International
Trade of lceland
Reykjavík, Iceland
WHAT IS most
important in
Iceland/Canada relations in the year
2000?
At the beginning of the new millen-
nium the Icelandic Foreign Ministry has
set a course to emphasize culture and
trade, along with the traditional diplomat-
ic relations which have been excellent for
a long time. We have opened an Icelandic
Consulate in Winnipeg. At the Consulate,
numerous celebrations to honour the his-
toric ties between the countries have been
organized in cooperatión with Canadian
organizations and the Leifur Eiriksson
Millennium Commission of Iceland.'The
program is ready and it is difficult to sin-
gle out the most important event. I would
though like to mention the sailing of a
viking ship, from Iceland of course—
tracing the route of our forefathers who
first stepped ashore in Canada in the year
1000. However, what is most important,
of course, is that we are laying the foun-
dation for enduring and richer relations in
many fields, both with people of Icelandic
decent and the Canadian nation as a
whole.
Emöke J.E. Száthmary
President óf the University of
Manitoba
The meaning of the University of
Manitoba’s Depaitment of Icelandic
and its Icelandic Collection is multi-lay-
ered and complex. Certainly they reflect
the yearning of Canadians of Icelandic
descent to have a place where their lan-
guage and literature is spoken, taught,
preserved and respected. To those who
first heard their mother’s voice in the
cadence of Icelandic language and whose
deepest feelings may surface on hearing
Icelandic melodies, our library collection
and courses in Icelandic language and lit-
erature are precious. However, it is worth
knowing that Canadians of other ethnic
backgrounds also find enormous value in
our Icelandic focus. These Canadians are
attracted by Icelandic sagas, and what
they say about the first Europeans in
North America. Others are drawn here
because they have read the poems, stories
and novels of Icelandic-Canadians. This
is particularly true for students and schol-
ars from Iceland who want to explore
Icelandic-Canadian thought and its writ-
ten expression over the past 125 years.
Such material shows Iceland’s legacy in
Why does Iceland have a special I
interest in Canada in the year 2000?
The year 2000 marks a major mile-
stone in relations between Canada and j
Iceland—namely one thousand years i
from the airival of the first Icelanders to j
the shores of Canada, and 125 years from |
settlement in Manitoba. Besides the cele- j
brations, we would like to facilitate the j
finalization of the EFTA/Canada contract, j
and we aim to open an embassy in j
Canada. That is not an isolated decision, j
but rather part of the whole foreign poli- i
cy. We would like to open more avenues
to North America. Trade between our
countries is steadily increasing.
What do you hope to achieve in
Iceland/Canada relations after the year
2000?
Many things will be achieved. The
Icelandic govemment’s participation in
cultural projects in Manitoba is at the top
of the list, as well as the fact that we are
perhaps first now expressing our appreci-
ation to the generations of people of
Icelandic descent who have kept Iceland
in their hearts and prayers for 125 years.
This friendship is important to us and
we would like it to continue to grow and
flourish.
When will the Icelandic Embassy
in Canada be opened?
At a meeting last summer with
Canada’s Foreign Minister, Lloyd
Axworthy, I announced our intention to
open an embassy in the year 2001.
another cultural idiom, as well as a differ-
ent language and demonstrates the power
of Icelandic in the creation of a vigorous
Canadian regional literature.
The gift frorn the Govemment of
lceland, Eimskip, and from the
University of Iceland’s Eimskip
University Fund also has meaning to the
University of Manitoba. The most practi-
cal meaning is that the gift will allow the
Icelandic Collection to grow, as it will
permit renovation of our facilities to pre-
serve fragile texts and rare materials bet-
ter than is currently possible. The cre-
ation of an Icelandic Reading Room will
encourage greater use of the Collection
by visiting scholars, students and the
broader community. Infusion of endowed
funds into the Department of Icelandic
will secure a second professional position
in the unit, which will have a very posi-
tive impact on promoting learning and
scholarship in Icelandic. The gift from
Iceland provides the assurance that the
Icelandic heritage will be preserved and
cherished at the University of Manitoba,
and we shall continue to inform future
generations about the multi-faceted
impact of the Icelandic presence in North
America.
Lloyd Axworthy
Canadian
Minister of
Foreign Affairs
IT IS UNLIKELY
that .when
Leifur Eiriksson
landed on the north-
ern tip of
Newfoundland that he imagined a vibrant
viking community springing up more
than two thousand kilometres to the west
on the shores of Lake Winnipeg 875 years
later. I am certain that he would be proud
of the contributions the Icelandic comrnu-
nity in Manitoba have made to the rich
cultural make-up of their newfound coun-
try, Canada. No more proud, though, than
Canadians from all over our great coun-
try. As a Canadian and a Manitoban, I am
delighted to celebrate the thousand-year-
long viking history in North America. I
was pleased, when in Reykjavík last sum-
mer, to board the replica of Leifur
Eiriksson’s ship, the Islendingur, and will
certainly celebrate when it leads a flotilla
that will be greeted with great honours in
L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland on
July 28, 2000.
It is indeed in Manitoba, and espe-
cially in Gimli, that the Icelandic commu-
nity has established and has thrived for
125 years. It has helped to open up the
rugged Canadian west and has spread
throughout Canada to as far away as the
Pacific Ocean. The threshold of the new
millennium brings with it new initiatives
that will enhance relations between
Canada and Iceland even more. Let me
salute important contributions to our eth-
nic heritage by the University of
Manitoba in Winnipeg and the Stefansson
The Government of Iceland and
Eimskip, the Icelandic Steamship
Company, are donating one million
Canadian dollars to the Icelandic
Department and the Icelandic Collection
at the University of Manitoba. This gert
erous contribution will be presented by
Iceland’s Minister of Education, Mr.
Bjom Bjarnason, in Febmary 2000.
The reason for Iceland’s gift is sim-
ple; Canada is the home of the largest
number of Icelanders, outside Iceland,
and the Icelandic Collection is the second
largest collection of Icelandic books out-
side Iceland.
“This, now close to 27,000 volume
collection, is the largest collection of
Icelandic materials in Canada. The great-
est strength, however, and that for which
the Collection is intemationally recog-
nized are its nearly exhaustive holdings
of Icelandic Canadiana,” says Sigrid
Johnson, head of the Icelandic Collection.
Institute in Akureyri.
Our relationship will grow stronger
as our two countries stand poised to enter
into a free trade agreement that will
enhance trade and investmenl relations
for the future. The Canada-EFTA Free
Trade Agreement, which is expected to
be signed later this year, will ensure easi-
er access for Canadian and Icelandic
business and businesspeople into our two
nations. Combined with regular
Icelandair service between Iceland and
Canada, the groundwork has been laid to
see trade between us grow for future gen-
erations.
Icelanders and Canadians are north-
ern peoples and are natural partners to
stand as guardians of a sustainable devel-
opment in the north. As active partners in
the Arctic Council, we share the goal of
ensuring that the arctic environment is
preserved for our children. Our common
interests have allowed us to act together
to develop solutions for much of the
problems that threaten the north such as
global warming, protecting fish stocks,
and energy conservation in the cold
northern climate. We also are prepared to
work together to find ways to best take
advantage of ópportunities offered by the
untouched north such as eco-tourism.
Canada and Iceland have a partner-
ship that started one thousand years ago.
The millennium celebration events that
will take place in Canada and Iceland this
year will highlight our deep ties. I wish to
express my congratulations to many peo-
ple who, over the years, have helped to
build these relations.
“This most generous gift of one mil-
lion dollars from Iceland means that, after
64 years, the collection will finally be
housed in a space appropriate for a col-
lection of this nature.”
The Collection will be re-located
within the Elizabeth Dafoe Library to a
completely renovated space, twice the
size of the present location, where ade-
quate provision has been made for envi-
ronmental controls, temperature, humidi-
ty, lighting and storage facilities. Library
patrons will be able to conduct their
research in a “state of the art” reading
room where, among other things, ade-
quate provision has been made for new
technology.
Recently, the University of Iceland
signed a contract with the University of
Manitoba on student exchange, research,
and academic conferences to be held
every third year.
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The Value of Icelandic Presence
One million dollars to the
University of Manitoba
For more information, visit our website: www.iceland2000.org