Da Accident - Cozy Relationship with Russia Prompts Questions

Cozy Relationship with Russia Prompts Questions

“The President of Iceland meets with Russian Ambassador Anton Vasiliev to prepare the Arctic Circle conference, planned in Iceland next fall. Other topics of discussion included responses to the terrible air-accident in Ukraine, the necessity of an international investigation and close co-operation with particular regard to the interests of the families of the deceased.”

So sounds an announcement from the office of President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. The incident referred to as an ‘accident’ is the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane, shot down over Ukraine, mid-July. Commentator and TV host Egill Helgason has, among others, asked why the President’s office would call the attack an ‘accident’. The Icelandic term flugslys, used in the announcement, might translate directly as flight-accident, and is the most common expression for unintended crashes.

The announcement appeared on the President’s website, forseti.is, with a visible date-stamp, as it seems, but the meeting reportedly took place on July 22. RÚV reported on the announcement earlier today, in search of an explanation as to why Iceland, alone, is excluded from Russia’s list of Western countries under blockade.