The Icelandic Foreign Ministry says there have been no formal negotiations have taken place between Iceland and the US regarding a permanent US military presence in Keflavík, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports. In a reply to an inquiry by RÚV the Foreign Ministry stresses that negotiations have taken place regarding an expansion of the current operations of the US and other NATO countries in Keflavík.
Read more: US Navy set to return to its former base at Keflavík International Airport
Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, the Icelandic Foreign Minister, told the local news site visir.is that no fundamental changes were being made to the defence relationship between Iceland and the US. The US had used Keflavík for patrol missions in the North Atlantic for several years, but that the growing Russian presence around Iceland and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere called for a US response. Stepping up the US presence in the region, with larger aircraft, required some changes to the facilities in Keflavík.
“This just means that they need, and are willing to pay for, the changes to the hangar in question, so that they will be able to use these submarine-hunting aircraft who have made stopovers in Iceland for the past two, three years,” Gunnar Bragi told visir.is.
Read more: Strategic significance of Iceland grows as Russian presence in North Atlantic grows
Gunnar Bragi added that Iceland and the US maintained an ongoing discussion about national security. “But if there is anything going to happen in Keflavík, other than these regular but temporary stopovers, it would require formal negotiations between our countries. And we have not opened on any such discussions.”
The US Embassy in Iceland provided RÚV with a very similar response, stressing that as NATO members Iceland and the US had an ongoing conversation about defense and that these discussions took into consideration the changing global security situation. The embassy told RÚV that the US Ambassador to Iceland would not comment on the news at this stage.
The Icelandic Foreign Ministry says there have been no formal negotiations have taken place between Iceland and the US regarding a permanent US military presence in Keflavík, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports. In a reply to an inquiry by RÚV the Foreign Ministry stresses that negotiations have taken place regarding an expansion of the current operations of the US and other NATO countries in Keflavík.
Read more: US Navy set to return to its former base at Keflavík International Airport
Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, the Icelandic Foreign Minister, told the local news site visir.is that no fundamental changes were being made to the defence relationship between Iceland and the US. The US had used Keflavík for patrol missions in the North Atlantic for several years, but that the growing Russian presence around Iceland and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere called for a US response. Stepping up the US presence in the region, with larger aircraft, required some changes to the facilities in Keflavík.
“This just means that they need, and are willing to pay for, the changes to the hangar in question, so that they will be able to use these submarine-hunting aircraft who have made stopovers in Iceland for the past two, three years,” Gunnar Bragi told visir.is.
Read more: Strategic significance of Iceland grows as Russian presence in North Atlantic grows
Gunnar Bragi added that Iceland and the US maintained an ongoing discussion about national security. “But if there is anything going to happen in Keflavík, other than these regular but temporary stopovers, it would require formal negotiations between our countries. And we have not opened on any such discussions.”
The US Embassy in Iceland provided RÚV with a very similar response, stressing that as NATO members Iceland and the US had an ongoing conversation about defense and that these discussions took into consideration the changing global security situation. The embassy told RÚV that the US Ambassador to Iceland would not comment on the news at this stage.
