Iceland’s minister for foreign affairs, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, has left Vietnam and will continue her official travels to China, according to Vísir. Her agenda in China includes bilateral meetings with the country’s foreign minister and minister for foreign trade, mbl.is reported.
During her recent trip, Þorgerður Katrín was accompanied by her assistant Ingileif Friðriksdóttir, as well as María Rut Kristinsdóttir and her spouse. The foreign minister described the outcome of her Vietnam visit as “good news for Icelandic business,” Vísir reported.
Before departing Vietnam, Þorgerður Katrín renewed the foreign ministry’s cooperation agreement with ICE-SAR on the operation of the Icelandic international rescue team. The agreement was co-signed by Borghildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir, chair of ICE-SAR’s board, and runs until the end of 2028. It aims to ensure preparedness and maintain the team’s capacity to participate in international rescue and humanitarian operations in line with international standards. The deal also sets the foundation for systematic team preparation ahead of renewed international peer certification in 2029.
According to the foreign ministry, the Icelandic international rescue team draws on the specialised expertise of Icelandic rescue personnel and other responders, operating on behalf of the state. Their tasks may include search and rescue from collapsed buildings, medical assistance, communication, and coordinating emergency camps in disaster zones. Minister Þorgerður Katrín stated, “This Icelandic knowledge and experience … will make it easier for us to take part in international cooperation when disasters strike elsewhere in the world.”
Background
ICE-SAR is an Icelandic volunteer-based organisation responsible for search and rescue operations both domestically and internationally. The international rescue team was established after a seven-person Icelandic group responded to the 1999 earthquake in Turkey, leading to the first cooperation agreement with the government in March 2000. Since then, the team has participated in seven international missions, including significant search-and-rescue work in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
Sources
- Stjórnarráð Íslands (Government of Iceland) in Icelandic
- Vísir (first reported) in Icelandic
- mbl.is in Icelandic
