Faroe Islands Accepts Monetary Gift From Iceland After All

Despite a message of “thanks but no thanks” from the Faroese Minister of Foreign Affairs, today the director of the Faroe Islands’ rescue squad accepted a financial donation of over 5 million ISK in response to damage done by heavy storms that slammed the islands last December.

Vísir reports that, in a ceremony held at the Faroese consul in Reykjavík today, Rakel Sigurgeirsdóttir and Valdís Steinarsdóttir donated 5,755,000 ISK to Regin Jespersen, the director of the Faroe Islands’ rescue squad. Regin expressed gratitude for the donation, calling Icelanders “our cousins to the west.”

As reported, a post made by the Facebook group “Faeroe Islanders and Icelanders Are Cousins” pointed out the devastating winds and rain that slammed the tiny islands over Christmas.

Although no one was killed or seriously injured, these storms have done considerable damage to the infrastructure.

“Followers of our page took the opportunity to put forward the idea that we Icelanders lend our neighbours a helping hand by dealing with the damage the severe weather has done to them,” they write in part. “As we put this wish forward, we implore the Icelandic government to submit funding for the Faroese people to repair the damage done over the Christmas holidays.”

However, as well-intended as the subsequent charity drive to raise money for the Faroe Islands was, the Faroese government gave assurances that no money was needed. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lilja Alfreðsdóttir posted about the matter on the occasion of Lilja meeting her Faroese colleague, Poul Michelsen.

“Poul says he is grateful to Icelanders for their obvious goodwill, but the damage was for the most part insured against, and after consulting with the Prime Minister, the conclusion was reached that they did not need help from the storm,” the Ministry stated. “He sends warm wishes to Iceland, and said that the response was yet another example of the strong relationship between these two cousin countries.”