Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.03.2019, Page 3

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1. mars 2019 • 3
“ Iceland and the United
States have for decades
enjoyed a very close
relationship, a true friendship,”
said Foreign Minister Guðlaugur
Þór Þórðarson at a press
conference in Harpa Concert
Hall on February 15, which
concluded a visit to Iceland
by U.S. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo. “Seventy-five
years ago, in 1944, the United
States was the first country
to recognize the Republic of
Iceland, which meant a lot
during times of war, and we are
still grateful. ... Our countries
are bound together by common
heritage, but also principles and
values, which continue to be
tested as we talk together to face
different regional and global
threats, values that we need to
uphold and protect.”
Noting “Iceland and the
United States share strategic
interests,” the foreign minister
said that the two had discussed
the upcoming NATO ministerial
meeting. “Our bilateral defense
cooperation, which is based on
our 1951 defense agreement,
also stands on strong footing,”
he said before observing that
the presence of U.S. armed
forces in years past had “left
a lasting cultural legacy. “We
are more American than other
Europeans.”
The foreign minister noted
that the U.S. is Iceland’s largest
bilateral trading partner and U.S.
tourists are the largest single
group of visitors to Iceland.
“Last year, some 700,000 U.S.
tourists visited Iceland, or twice
the size of our population,” he
said. Nevertheless, there is “still
unrealized potential for trade in
our commercial relationship.”
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo responded, saying,
“It’s the first time I’ve had the
opportunity to come to Iceland,
but it feels very familiar.
Many of you won’t know
this, but before my time in
government service, I founded
a small business in Kansas, so
I have a special appreciation
for entrepreneurs and people
like those here, and for people
who strive to be, as Icelanders
like to say, best í heimi. Our
two nations do share just
a wonderful and important
history, and our people should
never forget that.”
The secretary of state
expressed appreciation to
Iceland for having hosted
the Trident Juncture military
exercise last October and
noted the country’s “important
contributions” to NATO. “We
certainly appreciate the key
role that you play in securing
sea lines of communications
both between Europe and North
America,” he added.
He echoed the foreign
minister’s comments about
bilateral trade, saying, “the
economic relationship between
our two countries remains
strong. We definitely hope we
can make it stronger.”
“There will always be
challenges,” the secretary of
state cautioned. “We can’t take
any aspect of our relationship
for granted. There hasn’t been
a U.S. secretary of state come
here since 2008. I just spent
four days in Central and Eastern
Europe visiting capitals that
had been neglected under the
prior administration as well.
No more. No more will we take
our friends, our true allies, our
partners for granted. We simply
can’t afford to neglect them. Our
economies are too closely tied.”
This report is based on a
transcript of the joint press
conference from the U.S.
Department of State.
TV2 News – Prime Minister
Katrín Jakobsdóttir utilized her
time with U.S. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo to present
Iceland’s perspective on climate
change, Arctic affairs, and
nuclear weapons in the world.
The meeting involved a courtesy
visit that lasted only 20 minutes.
Katrín told the newsroom that
considerable time had gone into
discussing climate change since
it was clear that the governments
of Iceland and the United States
approached the issue and
problems of the Earth’s warming
very differently. The U.S. is
one of the biggest emitters of
greenhouse gases. However,
President Donald Trump intends
to withdraw the U.S. from the
Paris Agreement next year.
“We are of course not on the
same page, our countries,” said
Prime Minister Katrín. When
asked, she said she had not
convinced Secretary Pompeo
to change his mind. “No, but I
did my best to do so. We ended
by agreeing to disagree on these
issues. We debated this a bit,
the Paris Agreement, and which
methods are most likely to
produce results,” she said.
Nuclear disarmament also
came up at their meeting, but
the prime minister said that the
discussion had somewhat been
a continuation of her speech at
the NATO meeting this summer.
“I just wanted to reiterate our
perspective on this – that it
is very important to resume
reducing the number of nuclear
weapons, rather than increasing
it,” the prime minister said.
In addition, she chatted about
Arctic affairs, for Iceland will
assume leadership of the Arctic
Council this year. The prime
minister explained to Pompeo
the Icelandic government’ s
emphases in Arctic affairs and
underscored the importance of
environmental perspectives.
She said that getting to discuss
Icelanders’ emphases with
leaders of other countries
entailed great opportunities.
“The key point of Iceland’s
foreign policy is to support
peaceful solutions. Thus, it is
important to speak for where
we are going. It is likewise
important that climate change
is always on the agenda in all
international forums.”
Reprinted with permission
from Icelandic News Briefs,
published by KOM PR.
Iceland supports peaceful solutions
PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Icelandic Foreign Minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson with
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
PHOTO: U.S. EMBASSY IN ICELAND
U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Prime Minister of
Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir
203.803.8899 | kent@gudlite.com | www.gudlite.com
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Close relationship between U.S. and Iceland emphasized
My favorite Icelandic musician is Ólafur Arnalds, a
composer and pianist who recently performed at the
Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Accompanied by a string
quartet and a lone percussionist, Arnalds played a unique brand of
instrumental music that combines classical sounds with ambient
pop sensibilities. The performance was complemented by the
brilliant use of a fog machine and coloured lights that transformed
the concert hall into a magical otherworld.
Arnalds’ music is evocative, soothing, and rich. Each song has
a different mood and speaks ambiguously, allowing the audience
to determine its meaning. Sometimes I would relax and think about
my life; other times I’d let my imagination run wild. Throughout
the whole show, I was overcome with emotions, happy and sad,
bewildered and inspired. The encore, a tribute to Arnalds’ amma,
who introduced him to classical music, left me gutted.
What was most unique about Arnalds’ performance was
watching him use the custom-built “Stratus” system or, as I like
to call it, “a dizzying array of keyboards.” As Arnalds played
the piano, a pair of player pianos accompanied him as though
controlled by ghosts. This technology added to the ambience and
helped make the concert an extra special experience.
Caitlin Oleson
Ottawa, ON
ÓLAFUR ARNALDS
takes audience to
a magical otherworld
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK