President of Iceland: – Brexit is good news for Norway

Ólafur Ragnar Gri“mssonPresident of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Gri“msson. Photo: Kyrre Lien / SCANPIX

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland for 20 years, does not share the unease that many feel for Britain’s No to the EU. – This is good news for our part of the world, he says.

– This  fundamentally changes the geopolitical situation in our part of the world. The North Atlantic neighboring countries will get a new role: When Britain leaves the EU, we will see a triangle that covers a large part of the globe: Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway – and now Britain as well. You just have to a look at a globe and you will see this,  Grimsson says to Klassekampen. He argues that northern areas will become increasingly more important.

–  The Arctic Zone, or the far north, will play an increasingly important part. This is all to do with trade, diplomacy, commodities and several other fields. We are not only important in a European context, but in a global context,  the experienced head of state says.
He believes brexit creates an opportunity that our country can not afford to let go by.

– The decision made by the British, has created a momentum, and we have to ensure that a system of close cooperation is created,  the Icelandic President said.
He also believes the brexit will make EFTA much more relevant.
– Of course it is up to the British to decide how they want to run things and which agreements they will enter into, but this may lead to the EFTA partners playing a more important part than they did in the preceding decades. Norway and Iceland can  work in a whole new way for this to serve us, he says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today    ,