Secretary of State Rubio assures Iceland that the US has no claims to it — PBS NewsHour

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to Reykjavik, Iceland, assured the country’s authorities that President Donald Trump’s administration has no intentions regarding the island and will not do anything without Iceland’s consent. Rubio met with Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir.

Talks at Höfði House

The meeting with Gunnarsdóttir took place at Höfði House, where a summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was held in 1986. Rubio called the building a symbol of diplomacy’s role in ending the Cold War and defeating communism.

According to PBS NewsHour, Rubio said he was ready to discuss possible joint steps with Iceland. He recalled that the United States had a permanent military presence in Iceland until 2006, when it closed its base in Keflavik near Reykjavik due to changing priorities. According to him, those priorities have changed again.

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Concerns over publications

Icelandic authorities had previously expressed concern after a map appeared on social media in which the colors of the US flag covered North America, Greenland and Iceland. Gunnarsdóttir summoned US Ambassador Billy Long and said the publication was unacceptable.

After the talks, the minister said the issue had largely been resolved and that the countries were focusing on the future. Rubio said he had not come to Iceland to discuss social media posts and described the situation as very positive. Ahead of the visit, he said its purpose was to advance shared priorities: a secure Arctic, stronger commercial and energy ties, and closer defense cooperation amid growing tensions between the United States and Russia.