Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, will be meeting with the UK’s Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson in mid-April to discuss the nation’s exit from the European Union.
“We’ve mapped a number of talking points but the first meeting will be quite informal, to go over generalities and so on. We have plenty of time,” Guðlaugur told RÚV.
Guðlaugur hopes future meetings will lead to a more lucrative trade deal with the United Kingdom.
“We don’t actually have full access to the UK’s market right now,” said Guðlaugur. “We pay toll on a number of commodities, including fish. Even though our agreement through the European Economic Area is good and has worked very well for us, there’s a chance we may now have better access to their market. Iceland is an example of how much of a difference good trade deals can make. A hundred years ago we were Europe’s poorest nation and we would no doubt still be the poorest nation if we didn’t have access to the markets we do now.”
Guðlaugur said he is not worried what effect an improved bilateral agreement with the UK might have on Iceland’s relationship with the European Union.
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