History of diplomatic relations
De jure, Iceland recognised the Republic of Estonia in 30 January 1922, but as the foreign relations of Iceland were organised by Denmark at the time, the communication between the two countries was limited to the representative of Iceland in Denmark. The Icelandic Ambassador to Estonia is Harald Aspelund (as of 23 August 2022), who resides in Helsinki. The Estonian Ambassador to Iceland is Piia Mathisen (as of 9 September 20242021), who resides in Oslo. Estonia has an honorary consul in Iceland, Pétur Már Jónsson. The Icelandic honorary consul in Estonia is Helen Tälli.
Bilateral relations
To Estonia
- President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (2024)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Thordis Golbrún Gylfadóttir (2023)
- Speaker of Parliament of Iceland Steingrímur J. Sigfússon (2021)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson (2020)
- Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir (2019)
- President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (2018)
- President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (2017)
To Iceland
- President Alar Karis (2022)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (2022)
- Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (May 2018)
- President Kersti Kaljulaid (2017)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser (2017)
The international agreements between Estonia and Iceland can be found in Riigi Teataja.
Estonian exports to Iceland amounted 40,2 mln euros in 2024, Iceland on the 42 position.
In 2022 Estonian exports to Iceland amounted to 47.8 million euros, which places Iceland on the 39th spot in the list of the biggest export partners of Estonia. For more details on the trade in goods with Iceland, see the Statistics Estonia application.
There are many contacts at the personal level in the circles of art and culture and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia has also helped to develop the relations. The most important cultural events In Iceland related to Estonia in 2023 were the screening of the documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Savvusanna sõsarad) by Anna Hints at the Reykjavik Stockfish film festival in spring and the participation of the Estonian Minister of Culture in the opening of the Sequences art biennial in Iceland, which was curated by the promoters of the Estonian Centre For Contemporary Art.
Iceland has a civil expert involved with strategic communication in Tallinn within the framework of the NATO eFP (Enhanced Forward Presence). Estonia and Iceland also cooperate within the framework of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) of the Northern European countries, which Iceland joined in April 2021. In May 2023, Iceland joined the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.
As one of the founding members of NATO, Iceland persistently supported the efforts of the Baltic states, including Estonia, to join NATO. Within the framework of the NATO air security cooperation, Estonia took part in an air security mission in Iceland in 2009.
There are currently a few hundred Estonians living and working in Iceland and an active Estonian Community in Iceland. The Estonians in Reykjavik have assisted in organising the celebrations of the Independence Day of the Republic of Estonia, as well as other special dates and cultural events.
Last updated: 20.09.2024
