 | |
 Iceland |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Iceland in Washington, D.C. | U.S. Embassy in Iceland |
| Envoy | |
| AmbassadorBergdís Ellertsdóttir | AmbassadorCarrin Patman |
TheUnited States has maintained diplomatic relations withIceland since the mid-1800s.
In 1868, the U.S. Department of State underWilliam H. Seward authored a report that contemplated the purchase of Iceland from Denmark.[1] The United States military established a presence in Iceland and around its waters after the Nazi occupation ofDenmark (even before the U.S. entered World War II) in order to denyNazi Germany access to its strategically important location (which would have been considered a threat to the Western Hemisphere).
TheUnited States was the first country to recognizeIcelandic independence fromDenmark in June 1944, union with Denmark under a common king, and German and British occupation during World War II. Iceland is a member of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but has no standing military of its own. The United States and Iceland signed a bilateral defense agreement in 1951, which stipulated that the U.S. would make arrangements for Iceland's defense on behalf of NATO and provided for basing rights for U.S. forces in Iceland; the agreement remains in force, although U.S. military forces are no longer permanently stationed in Iceland.
In 2006, the U.S. announced it would continue to provide for Iceland's defense but without permanently basing forces in the country. That year,Naval Air Station Keflavik closed and the two countries signed a technical agreement on base closure issues (e.g., facilities return, environmental cleanup, residual value) and a "joint understanding" on future bilateral security cooperation (focusing on defending Iceland and theNorth Atlantic region against emerging threats such asterrorism and trafficking). The United States also worked with local officials to mitigate the impact of job losses at the Air Station, notably by encouraging U.S. investment in industry and tourism development in the Keflavik area. Cooperative activities in the context of the new agreements have included joint search and rescue, disaster surveillance, maritime interdiction training withU.S. Navy andU.S. Coast Guard units, and U.S. deployments to support the NATO air surveillance mission in Iceland.
The U.S.–Icelandic relationship is founded on cooperation and mutual support. The two countries share a commitment to individual freedom, human rights, and democracy. U.S. policy aims to maintain close, cooperative relations with Iceland, both as NATO allies and as states interested in the shared objectives of enhancing world peace, respect for human rights, economic development,arms control, and law enforcement cooperation, including the fight against terrorism, narcotics, andhuman trafficking.
Both countries are part of the United Nations. Moreover, the United States seeks to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations. Most of Iceland'sexports go to theEuropean Union andEuropean Free Trade Association countries, followed by the United States andJapan. The U.S. is one of the largest foreign investors in Iceland, primarily in thealuminum sector. The United States and Iceland signed aTrade and Investment Framework Agreement in 2008.
Iceland, like the U.S., neverjoined the League of Nations. Iceland's ties with otherNordic states, the United States, and other NATO member states are particularly close. Iceland and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including theUnited Nations, theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, theArctic Council, theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, theInternational Monetary Fund, theWorld Bank, and theWorld Trade Organization.
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Only two U.S. presidents have visited Iceland while in office:Richard Nixon from May 31 to June 1, 1973, and Ronald Reagan from October 9 to October 12, 1986.[2]
Reagan attended theReykjavík Summit in 1986 with Soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev. It was a highly dramatic moment in the Cold War, as the two leaders almost came to an agreement to abolish all nuclear weapons. They narrowly failed in this goal, but the ice was broken, and there were soon major new initiatives that led to the end of theCold War.[3]
Numerous other U.S. dignitaries have visited Iceland. First LadyHillary Clinton spoke at a conference on Women and Democracy in Reykjavík in October 1999. She returned to Iceland as a U.S. senator in August 2004 on a fact-finding trip that also included her husband, former PresidentBill Clinton, and SenatorJohn McCain. Secretary of StateColin Powell attended aNATO summit in Iceland in May 2002, and his successor,Condoleezza Rice, visited the country in May 2008. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken visited Iceland in 2021 for the annualArctic Council meeting, where he met with Prime MinisterKatrín Jakobsdóttir and PresidentGuðni Jóhannesson.
The U.S. maintains an embassy in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Icelandic officials have also visited the United States on several occasions. Icelandic PresidentÓlafur Ragnar Grímsson attended a technology summit hosted by Alaska GovernorSarah Palin in October 2007. He also met with Maine GovernorPaul LePage at an international trade summit in Portland, Maine in May 2013.
On May 13, 2016, PresidentBarack Obama hosted a summit andstate dinner for Nordic leaders from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Among the attendees from the Icelandic delegation were Prime MinisterSigurður Ingi Jóhannsson and the Icelandic Ambassador to the U.S., former Prime MinisterGeir Haarde.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
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