Iceland to suspend operations of its embassy to Russia starting Aug 1, to lower level of diplomatic relations

LONDON. June 9 (Interfax) - The Foreign Ministry of Iceland has decided to suspend the operations of its embassy in Moscow starting August 1, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"This is not an easy decision, as Iceland has enjoyed rich relations with the people of Russia since our independence in 1944. However, the current situation simply does not make it viable for the small foreign service of Iceland to operate an embassy in Russia," the statement quoted Icelandic Foreign Minister Thordis Gylfadottir as saying.

Iceland also intends to lower the level of its diplomatic relations with Russia and asked Russia to scale down the operations of its embassy in Reykjavik.

"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 statement said.

The Foreign Ministry of Iceland summoned the Russian ambassador to notify him of the decision, it said.

At the same time, Gylfadottir said she expected the relationship between the two countries to normalize in the future, and that this would depend on Moscow's actions.