Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson
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Former Foreign Minister: Helping Sheep Farmers As Important As Helping Refugee Children
Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, Framsóknarflokkurinn MP and former Foreign Minister, used the last day of parliament to equate the plight of refugee children with the problems facing sheep and cattle farmers in Iceland, reports Vísir. Three issues were discussed on the last day…
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Pirate Party Want Referendum To Restart EU Talks
The Pirate Party have put forth an EU referendum proposal to restart negotiations with the European Union, reports RÚV. The Pirate Party suggest a referendum for the spring of 2018, with the simple question: “Would you like the government to restart accession…
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WTF Happened Last Year? 2015 In News
Every year, we at the Grapevine like to look back and reflect on some of the hottest, weirdest, and most delightful news stories that dominated the headlines. This year is no exception. So here, again, we bring you: the Year In Review.…
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Foreign Minister Lashes Back At Conservative Critics
The Minister of Foreign Affairs says Independence Party critics of the trade ban against Russia show a conflict of interest. Since last summer, Iceland has been participating in the current trade ban against Russia, in which the EU is also involved. The…
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Foreign Minister: Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson says that fighting against a 2°C warming of the planet will be costly, but Iceland is committed. The Foreign Minister is currently attending the COP21 climate change talks in Paris this week, RÚV reports, where…
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Wants To Know Whaling’s Effect On Relationship With US
Nine opposition MPs want to know what effect whaling has had on Iceland’s relationship with the United States. The White House has made their distaste with whaling known to Iceland on more than one occasion. RÚV reports that the request for a…
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Foreign Minister: “Dangerous” Of Russia To Fly Over Turkey
Russia is creating considerable “danger” by flying over a NATO country with military aircraft, Iceland’s Foreign Minister says. Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson was a guest on radio station Rás 1, where he spoke about the current situation in Syria,…
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Foreign Minister Supports An Independent, Critical Press
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told an OSCE official he supports freedom of the press, but Iceland has been criticised for its lack thereof – with some of those criticisms aimed at Gunnar Bragi. Stundin reports that Gunnar Bragi met with OSCE…
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Foreign Minister Defends Sanctions, Criticises Fishing Companies
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson has responded bluntly to critics of Iceland’s participation in the sanctions against Russia, and took a swipe at a former prime minister in the process. Kjarninn reports that Gunnar Bragi sat for an interview on…
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Foreign Minister Backpedals On Whaling Position
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson appears to be of two minds when it comes to Iceland’s whaling practices. Gunnar Bragi has attempted to clarify remarks he made last week about whale hunting, which he says were misinterpreted in a manner that constituted…
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Foreign Minister: Time To Tax Airline Tickets
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson believes one of the ways to confront growing tourism is to start levying taxes on airline tickets. In an interview with Skessuhorn, Gunnar Bragi said that while Icelanders have invested a great deal in the…
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Foreign Minister Writes For Guardian About Iceland’s Gender Equality
Iceland’s Foreign Minister wrote a column for The Guardian arguing a number of points in Iceland’s favour about men’s role in gender equality. The piece is written in reference to the United Nations’ HeForShe campaign, in which Iceland’s participation garnered an award…
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Iceland Officially No Longer An EU Accession Nation
The European Union has removed Iceland from the list of countries seeking accession into the EU. This can be confirmed by paying a visit to European Commission’s status page for countries seeking or negotiating for the start of accession talks. As reported,…
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News In Brief: May 2015
It’s that time of year again: time to argue about whale hunting! An umbrella organisation of numerous whale-watching companies have criticised whale hunting just outside the Faxaflói Bay area, where a whole lot of whale-watching takes place. Their main argument is that…
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Foreign Minister Spoke With John Kerry About Whaling
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told reporters he and US Secretary of State John Kerry “understand and respect each other’s position” on whaling. Gunnar Bragi conceded, though, that halting whale hunting may improve relations between the two countries. RÚV reports that the…
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Foreign Minister: “Not Practical” To Put EU Question Up For Parliamentary Vote
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson insists Iceland is not seeking accession, saying putting the matter up for parliamentary vote is “impractical”. In an interview with Vísir, Gunnar Bragi repeated many of the points he has made previously about his decision to give…
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FM: Russians Shouldn’t Be Surprised About Nordic Military Declaration
Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, has said that Russia should not be surprised about the Nordic Countries’ joint pledge to scale up military cooperation in the wake of increased Russian aggression, which they described as the “biggest challenge to European security”.…
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EU Expedites Accession Process For Iceland
The European Union has opted to speed up Iceland’s access process, with officials hoping to make the country a full member by month’s end. Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson called the action “unilateral and undemocratic”. According to a press release from the…
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EU Referendum Still On The Table, Says Finance Minister
Independence Party chairperson and Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson told parliament today that a national referendum on EU accession could still be in the cards. RÚV reports that Bjarni addressed parliament this morning in response to a question from Bright Future chairperson Guðmundur…
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Most Icelanders Unhappy With Foreign Minister’s Handling Of EU
Nearly two-thirds of Icelanders polled say they are unsatisfied with Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson’s dealings with the European Union. A poll conducted by Fréttablaðið asked respondents “How pleased are you with the Foreign Minister in EU affairs over the past few…
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EU: Foreign Minister’s Letter Doesn’t Count
Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Maja Kocijančič, has said in no uncertain terms that while the EU has received Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson’s letter in which he announces the end of Iceland’s EU application, it is not recognised…
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Academics In Two Camps Over Validity Of EU Bid Drop
Law and Political Science academics are in two camps over the ruling coalition’s actions and the validity of the Foreign Minister’s letter to the EU, announcing the end of accession talks. Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, insisted in the news this…
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Thousands Protest Breaking EU Talks
About 7,000 Icelanders protested in front of parliament today, objecting to Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson (Progressive) declaring European Union accession talks over without putting the matter up for parliamentary vote. The minister likened the response from parliamentary opposition to a coup…