Security in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, along with cooperation between Iceland and the United Kingdom within NATO were among the topics Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and United Kingdom Secretary of Defence, Dan Jarvis, discussed during their meeting yesterday. The ministers also discussed cooperation within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), growing bilateral defence cooperation between Iceland and the United Kingdom, and the upcoming NATO Summit, which will take place in Ankara, Türkiye, beginning tomorrow.

The meeting was held on board the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is currently operating in the North Atlantic and the Arctic. The vessel is expected to make a port visit to Iceland in the coming days.

“It was both valuable and productive to welcome the UK‘s Defence Minister here in the North,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. “Iceland and the United Kingdom are close friends and neighbours in the North Atlantic, and our cooperation remains as strong as ever.”

The HMS Prince of Wales serves as the flagship of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, which has recently participated in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and the Arctic. Its visit to Iceland forms part of this deployment. Air surveillance and air defence exercises will also be conducted from the carrier in the vicinity of Iceland.

Iceland is providing Host Nation Support for the operation and is participating actively through the Control and Reporting Centre in Keflavík, where Icelandic specialists are responsible for the management and monitoring of Iceland’s airspace. Personnel from the Royal Navy will work alongside their Icelandic counterparts throughout the operation.

Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs received a briefing on the ship’s mission and the conduct of the operation. She also received a tour of the vessel.

Within NATO, increasing emphasis is now being placed on maintaining a stronger presence in the Arctic, particularly through the Arctic Sentry vigilance activity, which this cooperation also falls under. The initiative is intended to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture and enhance regional security, including in light of Russia’s increased military activity in the region.

The visit by the UK’s Defence Minister and the planned port call by the HMS Prince of Wales also underscore the close and expanding defence and security cooperation between Iceland and the United Kingdom. This partnership is particularly strong within NATO and the JEF, which is led by the United Kingdom. A meeting of JEF defence ministers will be held in Iceland this autumn, followed by a JEF Leaders’ Summit in Iceland next year.