Czech Republic–Iceland relations

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Czech-Iceland relations are foreign relations between the Czech Republic and Iceland. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 January 1993. The Czech Republic is represented in Iceland through an honorary consulate in Reykjavík. Iceland is represented in the Czech Republic through its embassy in Vienna (Austria) and through an honorary consulate in Prague.

Both countries are full members of NATO, the European Economic Area, of the Council of Europe, of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Military cooperation

File:Czech Gripens over the Iceland (20006478340).jpg during the NATO Icelandic Air Policing in 2015]]

The Czech Air Force takes part in the NATO Icelandic Air Policing mission to guard the airspace over Iceland.

State visits

The first top-level meeting between the countries took place in 1997, when Czech Prime Minister Václav Klaus went to Iceland on a state visit. He met with his counterpart, Icelandic Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson to discuss NATO.{{cite news |title=Czech premier to visit Iceland and Canada |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F99F525C81DEEE4&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work=ČTK |date=10 February 1997 |accessdate=10 June 2009 }}{{cite news |title=Czech and Icelandic premiers discuss NATO |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F99F532396D6897&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|work=ČTK |date=19 February 1997 |accessdate=10 June 2009 }}

Czech President Václav Havel made an official visit to Iceland in 1999, meeting with Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Topics of discussion included NATO membership and the possibilities of its future expansion.{{cite web |url=http://archiv.radio.cz/nato/english42.html |title=Havel warns against Kosovo-dominated NATO Summit |accessdate=10 June 2009 |publisher=Radio Prague |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607122114/http://archiv.radio.cz/nato/english42.html |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Václav Klaus, as Czech President, made a state visit to Iceland in 2005. He met Icelandic Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson. During the visit Klaus indicated support for Iceland's membership of the European Union.{{cite news |title=Czech Republic would welcome Iceland's EU entry |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10C315B1E78AD550&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |quote=The Czech Republic would welcome it if Iceland joined the European Union," Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who is on an official visit to Iceland, told CTK today after his meeting with Icelandic Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson. "We would definitely vote for it [Iceland's EU entry]," Klaus said.Iceland has not applied for EU membership yet, but it is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), comprising along... |work=ČTK |date=23 August 2005 |accessdate=10 June 2009 }}

See also

References

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