Estonia and Iceland

18.05.2011

Iceland was the first state to recognise the restored Republic of Estonia in 1991. "Iceland has a greater role in changing the world in 1991 than an icebreaker, because Iceland reminded everyone of lost values", said Lennart Meri during his visit to the Republic of Iceland in September 1999. In acknowledgement of the legendary recognition, the square in front of the Estonian Foreign Ministry was in August 1998 named Islandi väljak (Iceland Square) and as of October 1999, the address of the Ministry is 1 Iceland Square. In August 2006, Icelandic and Estonian prime ministers on the façade of the Foreign Ministry opened a memorial plaque dedicated to Iceland.

Diplomatic relations

Iceland first extended de jure recognition to the Baltic States already on 30 January 1922, but all diplomatic relations with the pre-war Republic of Estonia were carried out via Denmark for Iceland was officially under the jurisdiction of the King of Denmark.The minimal official relations were limited to the Danish Ambassador Sveinn Björnsson (1920-1940, later the first President of Iceland).

In May 1934, Tomas Tomasson was appointed as Estonia’s Honorary Consul in Reykjavik, in which capacity he served until August 1940. War prevented the opening of an Icelandic consulate in Estonia and of other mutual legations. Estonia and Iceland's political contacts remained disrupted for 51 years.

On 11 February 1991, Iceland's Parliament, Althingi adopted a resolution, which expressed support to the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and laid emphasis on the attaining of it by way of peaceful negotiations. Iceland re-recognized Estonia's independence on 22 August 1991. A few days after the failure of the August coup d`état in the Soviet Union, the Foreign Ministers of the three Baltic countries were invited to Reykjavik to meet with top politicians. On 26 August 1991, Estonia's Foreign Minister Lennart Meri and Iceland’s Foreign Minister Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson signed a joint declaration on the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. For his contribution to the independence of Estonia, President Lennart Meri awarded Iceland’s long-serving Foreign Minister (1988-1995), Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, with the Order of Terra Mariana 1st Class.

Iceland’s Ambassador to Estonia Elín Flygenring presented her credentials to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in February 2010. The Ambassador resides in Helsinki. Estonian Ambassador to Iceland Arti Hilpus presented his credentials to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson on 16 June 2009. The Ambassador resides in Oslo.

Estonia's Honorary Consul General in Iceland is Jón Sigurðarson. Iceland's Honorary Consul in Estonia is Jaak Oja.

Visits

Agreements

The following major agreements have been concluded between Estonia and Iceland:

• Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and for the Prevention of Tax Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and Capital (came into force 10.11.95);
• Agreement on Readmission of Persons (came into force 01.05.97).
• Agreement on the Abolition of Visa Requirements (came into force 02.05.97). 

Political relations

"We are speaking a common language, it is the language of democracy and self-determination," said Lennart Meri in his speech to Iceland’s Parliament in September 1999.

The current relations between Estonia and Iceland are very good; common positions are also held on the main issues of international politics. Since geographical distance forces our bilateral relations to be modest, co-operating as small nations within various international formats has been of the utmost importance.

Nordic-Baltic co-operation (NB8) – Iceland was the chairman of NB8 in 2009. The regular meeting of NB8 foreign ministers and political directors took place in Reykjavik from 20-21 August 2009 with Foreign Minister Urmas Paet in attendance. From 6-7 October 2009 a meeting of the secretaries general of the foreign ministries of NB8 countries was held in Reykjavik, which was attended by Foreign Ministry Secretary General Marten Kokk.

Iceland, one of the founding members of NATO in 1949, consistently supported the endeavours of the Baltic nations, including Estonia, to join NATO. Within the framework of NATO air security co-operation, Estonia participated in the air security mission in Iceland in 2009, sending two Estonian Air Force gunners to Iceland among the ranks of the Danish Air Force.

In the context of the European Union, Estonia’s relations with Iceland are regulated by the Agreement on the European Economic Area and Iceland’s membership in the EFTA. Now, when Iceland has begun accession negotiations with the European Union, the country is looking for support from all the EU member states, including Estonia. Estonia is prepared to share its EU accession experience with Iceland. For example, on Estonia’s initiative an EU seminar took place in Iceland from 12-13 April 2010, where presenters included experts from the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of the Environment, Agricultural Ministry, Interior Ministry, and the Finance Ministry. Daniel Vaarik and Hannes Rumm shared experiences with EU communications strategies.

Thanks to the relationship between the foreign ministries of Estonia and Iceland, in 2006 the parties signed a co-operation memorandum for the implementation of their first joint development co-operation project. Within the framework of the project, training for instructors of the Georgian Interior Ministry Academy and police officers of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svanet region (in the crisis area on the border of Georgia and Abkhazia) was carried out at the police college of the Estonian Public Service Academy with co-financing by the Icelandic Foreign Ministry. In addition to the Estonian and Icelandic foreign ministries, the Finnish Interior Ministry and UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) were also partners. Currently Iceland’s participation in the project has ended.

Economic Relations

Economic relations between Estonia and Iceland are developing, but due to geographical distance and the lack of historical economic ties they remain modest.

Since Estonia’s accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004, trade between Estonia and Iceland has been regulated by the European Economic Area Agreement concluded between the members of the European Community and the members of the EFTA in 1992.

According to the data of the Bank of Estonia, as of 31 December 2010 Icelandic investors had direct investments in Estonia totalling about 21 million EUR (0.2% of total investments).

Trade between Estonia and Iceland is modest. In 2010 the total trade turnover with Iceland was 22.98 million euros, which placed Iceland in the 40th spot among Estonia’s foreign trade partners. In 2010 Estonian export to Iceland was 21.77 million euros and import was 1.2 million euros. Over the years Estonian export to Iceland has been many times bigger than import (in 2009 it was 9 times greater; in 2005 it was 35 times greater).

In 2010, the main export articles from Estonia to Iceland were animal products (frozen shrimp – 48.8% of all exports), wood and wood products (coniferous wood, other planed and pared wood – 21.7%), chemical products (mineral or chemical fertilizers – 12.6%), and plastic products (boards, films, foil – 6%).

The lion’s share of imports in 2010 was taken up by animal products (mostly frozen shrimp and herring – 84.2%). The proportion of fish and fish products in imports from Iceland has always been high. Machinery and mechanical equipment (equipment for preparing beverages, scales) made up 14.8% of all imports from Iceland.
 

Estonian-Icelandic trade 2000-2010 (in millions EUR)

All economic figures originate from the Statistical Office of Estonia

Fishery

The sector that has seen the most active economic co-operation is fishery.

Estonia and Iceland have on the international level developed co-operation in the field of fisheries particularly in the framework of NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) and NEAFC (Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission). In connection with EU membership, Estonia’s bilateral co-operation with Iceland in NAFO as well as in NEAFC came to an end. Estonia is now represented in those organisations by the European Commission. Iceland and Estonia also participate in the activities of the UN FAO Committee on Fisheries and of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Ships sailing under the Estonian flag mostly catch shrimp in areas regulated by NAFO (the north-west Atlantic region, the area that falls between Greenland and the coast of Canada/the USA) and have been the most prominent shrimp catchers from the EU in that area for years. The company that works with shrimp fishing in that region is AS Reyktal, which runs on Icelandic capital. 

Tourism

In May 2005 Icelandair opened a Reykjavik-Helsinki direct route, thanks to which travel agents have more opportunities than before to offer Estonia as a good tourist destination. Icelandic tourists’ interest in Estonia grew as well. According to economic statistics, in 2007 Estonia was visited by 2 159 Icelandic tourists. In the year 2008, the number was 1 082, in 2009 the total was 588, and in 2010 it was 761. The drop in tourism from Iceland was no doubt due to Iceland’s economic difficulties. On the Estonian side, interest in visiting Iceland has grown over the years as well. It was highest a few years ago, when charter flights were organised to Iceland.

According to Statistics Iceland, there are over 100 Estonian citizens living in Iceland.

Cultural Relations

Many of the contacts between the art and cultural circles of Estonia and Iceland have formed on an individual level, and the development of relations has also been aided by the representation of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Estonia.

Fine arts

In 2009-2010 the International SAMPO Creation Project took place. It was a co-operation project between students and instructors from art schools in Estonia, Finland and Iceland, in the course of which elements from Finnish, Estonian and Icelandic mythology and folklore were written or drawn together. The resulting story was turned into comics and animation during workshops that were held in Estonia and Iceland; these elements were eventually put together in Finland to create a SAMPO packet.

The visit to Iceland has also inspired Estonian artists. For example: In 2010 an exhibit of Uno Roosvalt’s beach landscapes “On North Border” took place in the Vaal Gallery, where there was a separate series of paintings displayed based on a trip to Iceland; in 2009 Evi Tihemetsa’s graphics exhibit “Icelandic Stones” was on display in the Vabaduse Gallery; in 2008 Pille Tammela’s exhibit “Icelandic Revelation” appeared in the E-Kunstisalong.

Music

About ten Estonian music teachers work in Northern Iceland. One of them is Indrek Pajus, who since 2004 has worked as a guitar and contrabass teacher at the Akureyri Music School and a contrabass player in the Northern Icelandic Symphony Orchestra,.

In February 2008 the Philharmonic Chamber Choir gave three concerts in Iceland to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

In 2008 a workshop of the Nordplus EMD (Exploration in Music and Dance) co-operation network and conference took place in the Iceland Academy of the Arts, where participants from Estonia were jazz piano instructor Tõnu Naissoo, percussionist Liina Amon, and pianist Farištamo Leis from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and dance teacher Jane Raidma and dancers Kaarel Väli and Anu Vask from Tallinn University.

In August 2010 the Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival took place in Reykjavik. Estonia was represented by the Kiviõli choir Loit.

In September 2010 the vocal improvisation teacher from the Iceland Academy of Arts and singer Marta Hrafnsdóttir participated in the XII Autumn Festival of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Marta Hrafnsdóttir organised a series of workshops and performed at the main concert of the festival along with students of the Academy. Hrafnsdóttir has had contacts with the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre since 2006, when she led a vocal improvisation course at the Academy and became acquainted with local vocal improvisation instructors Anto Pett and Anne-Liis Poll.

Literature

Many works of Icelandic classical literature have been translated into Estonian, for example "Older Edda", "Grettir's Saga" and the most important novels by the 1955 Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness. Estonian works translated into Icelandic include a collection of poetry by Jaan Kaplinski. Iceland's former Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson translated Ants Oras' book on Estonia into Icelandic in the 1960s, and in 1973 he translated Andres Küng's book "Estonia – a Small Nation under the Yoke of Foreign Power".

In May 2010 a meet-and-greet with Icelandic author Einar Kárason took place during the international literature festival HeadRead happening in Tallinn. The poet, author and translator Eirikur Örn Norddahl, who has Icelandic roots, also participated in the literature festival in Tallinn.

Cinema

Screening Icelandic films during the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has become a tradition. During the Just Film festival in 2008 the Icelandic family film “Count Me Out” (dir. Ari Kristinsson); the film was distributed across Estonia to cinemas and also cultural and civic centres. Joint film production has also been done between Estonia and Iceland:

The feature film made by Estonia-Iceland co-operation “Luukas” (1993, director Tõnu Virve, Freyja Film) had a screenplay by Icelandic playwright Gudmundur Steinsson. “Luukas” was the first Estonian film that received a global distribution contract.

The dance film “Teine/Another” (2005, screenplay Rene Vilbre, Teet Kask and Helena Jonsdottir [Iceland]; director Rene Vilbre). The story was interpreted in dance by producer and short filmmaker Jonsdottir. The film won the Short Film Grand Prix from the 2006 Cinessonne Festival in Essonne, France. The film has also participated in other festivals and has been shown on numerous TV channels.

In November 2010 the Estonian nature-themed television programme “Osoon” dedicated its episodes to introducing Icelandic nature, including taking a closer look at how volcanoes work. Osoon’s exploratory trip to Iceland was supported by the representation of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Estonia.

Sports

The Estonian and Icelandic football teams have met many times. From 1996-1999 Teitur Thordarsson from Iceland was the head coach of the Estonian football team and received the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana IV Class from President Lennart Meri (24.02.2000). Icelander Vésteinn Hafsteinsson has been discus thrower Gerd Kanter’s trainer since 2006.

Educational co-operation

Estonian university students are interested in opportunities to study in Iceland. Students go to Iceland through various programmes or independently. On the state level, Estonia and Iceland have had educational co-operation through the EU’s higher education programme Erasmus and the Nordic Council of Minister’s Nordplus programme. The aforementioned programmes allow both students and instructors to travel abroad. In Estonia these endeavours are co-ordinated by the Archimedes Foundation in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Research. During the last few years, 1-2 students from each country have consistently participated in Estonia-Iceland student exchange through the Erasmus programme. One good example from the Erasmus programme is co-operation between the Tallinn University Institute of Information Science and the Iceland University School of Social Sciences, on the basis of which students and instructors from the library science and information science departments are exchanged. In addition, the same partners co-operate in the Nordic and Baltic doctorate school NORSLIS.

From 1994-2004, the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture offered scholarships to two Estonian students to study Icelandic language and literature at University of Iceland (in Reykjavik). Since 2004 Estonian students have been able to compete on a level playing field with other candidates in the scholarship programme of the Icelandic government “Icelandic for Foreign Students”. 2-3 Estonian students per year have had the opportunity to study in Iceland. The language scholarship given out by the Icelandic government for study at University of Iceland is meant primarily for those students who have already begun Scandinavian studies at their home university and would like to supplement their study of the Icelandic language.