Iceland closes its embassy in Russia

This is reported by the Voice of America.

It is noted that the reason for the closure of the embassy in Russia was that relations between the two countries had fallen to a "historic low". Therefore, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, the work of the diplomatic mission in Russia is no longer justified.

"A decision to suspend the operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow does not constitute a severance of diplomatic relations. As soon as conditions permit, Iceland will prioritize the resumption of operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The embassy in Moscow represented Iceland in relations not only with Russia, but also with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. From now on, it will be represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland in Reykjavik.

Iceland has become the first member of NATO to formally suspend embassy operations inside Russia.

• On June 9, the Icelandic Foreign Ministry decided to suspend the work of its embassy in Russia, starting from 1 August. The country also demands to limit the work of the Russian embassy in Reykjavik and reduce the level of diplomatic representation.