Today, the Secretary General of the Farnesina, Ambassador Ettore Francesco Sequi, received the Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland, Ambassador Martin Eyjólfsson, to hold bilateral consultations.
Ambassador Sequi expressed satisfaction for the renewed momentum in the bilateral relations between Rome and Reikiavik, as confirmed by the recent meeting between Minister Di Maio and his counterpart Gylfadóttir and by Italy Defence Minister Guerini’s mission to Iceland.
During the meeting, Ambassador Sequi and Ambassador Eyjólfsson examined the latest developments of the war in Ukraine and the relevant security-related consequences for the Euro-Atlantic community. In this context, they took stock of the situation of Finland and Sweden’s membership application to the Atlantic Alliance and of the revision of NATO’s Strategic Concept.
Ambassador Sequi and Ambassador Eyjólfsson reasserted the importance of pursuing the logistical and operational coordination between the two countries in the Nordic region, which is becoming increasingly important from a geo-strategic standpoint. In this regard, Ambassador Eyjólfsson stressed once again Iceland’s deep appreciation for Italy’s contribution to air policing activities in Iceland, which are part of NATO activities.
Ambassador Sequi and Ambassador Eyjólfsson also agreed that environmental sustainability and the green and digital transitions should be given priority; such issues underpin Rome’s bid to host Expo 2030.
Regarding economic relations, the Secretary General illustrated the opportunities that the Italian PNRR – national resilience and recovery plan – can offer in terms of investments and collaboration between enterprises, including in high-tech sectors such as renewable energy.
