PRESS RELEASE

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov held a conversation with Ossur Skarphedinsson, Iceland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Northern Dimension in Oslo on November 2.

An exchange of views took place on practical issues in Russian-Icelandic relations, including the tasks in carrying out the accords reached at the meetings of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson of Iceland in Moscow on September 22-23, 2010, on the deepening of cooperation with Reykjavik in the modernization and innovation sphere with emphasis on priority areas – geothermal energy and energy saving.

The parties also examined questions of the Russia-Iceland interaction in the Arctic, particularly in the context of preparations for a ministerial session of the Arctic Council in Nuuk in May 2011, and problems concerning Russia-NATO relations.

November 2, 2010